scams
Money
12:30PM Angus Kidman | Australians got scammed to the tune of more than $70 million last year, and the majority of those rip-offs originated online. However, avoiding getting ripped off doesn’t require complex technical know-how. More »
Don’t Join The Aussies Falling For Online Scams
12:30PM Angus Kidman | Australians got scammed to the tune of more than $70 million last year, and the majority of those rip-offs originated online. However, avoiding getting ripped off doesn’t require complex technical know-how. More » 
Work
The Phishing Flowchart Highlights Red Flags In Dangerous Emails
12:00AM Jason Fitzpatrick | We hardly see the average Lifehacker reader getting taken by a simple phishing scam — you’re a techno-literature bunch — but a little refresher never hurts and this flowchart is perfect for showing to relatives who have no idea what “phishing” even is. More »
Fix
4:00AM The How-To Geek | Lifehacker readers are a savvy bunch, and aren’t likely to be taken in by an online scam—but we’ve all got those relatives we worry about. Here’s our definitive guide to helping them stay safe online. More »
The Complete Guide To Avoiding Online Scams
4:00AM The How-To Geek | Lifehacker readers are a savvy bunch, and aren’t likely to be taken in by an online scam—but we’ve all got those relatives we worry about. Here’s our definitive guide to helping them stay safe online. More »
Money
2:00PM Angus Kidman | At Lifehacker, we’re big fans of hunting down discount holidays, but it always pays to exercise a little caution. The festive season is also fertile ground for scammers to prey on your desire for a bargain, the ACCC warns. More »
Beware Of Holiday Accommodation Scams
2:00PM Angus Kidman | At Lifehacker, we’re big fans of hunting down discount holidays, but it always pays to exercise a little caution. The festive season is also fertile ground for scammers to prey on your desire for a bargain, the ACCC warns. More »
Money
2:30PM Angus Kidman | Scammers are forever thinking up new ways to part consumers from their money, but often nothing more than a mildly convincing pitch for an in-demand product is needed. More »
Online Ticketing Scams On The Rise
2:30PM Angus Kidman | Scammers are forever thinking up new ways to part consumers from their money, but often nothing more than a mildly convincing pitch for an in-demand product is needed. More »
Fix
12:00PM Angus Kidman | Scammers are constantly coming up with new and creative ways to wreck computer security. As I report over at APC, the latest hoax to hit Australia is a telephone call claiming to be from either Microsoft or a security software firm, saying that an infection has been detected on your PC and offering to walk you through the fix process. Unsurprisingly, far from fixing the PC, the process completely compromises the machine, making it ripe for further exploitation. Adding insult to injury, the caller then asks for credit card details for a service fee. While most Lifehacker readers are probably savvy enough to avoid this kind of scam, it might be worth mentioning to any credulous friends or relatives. If you’re looking to keep your machine secure, check out our Hive Five on the best antivirus software.
PHONE CON: No, that is not “Microsoft” calling [APC]
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Watch Out For Fake Microsoft Support Calls
12:00PM Angus Kidman | Scammers are constantly coming up with new and creative ways to wreck computer security. As I report over at APC, the latest hoax to hit Australia is a telephone call claiming to be from either Microsoft or a security software firm, saying that an infection has been detected on your PC and offering to walk you through the fix process. Unsurprisingly, far from fixing the PC, the process completely compromises the machine, making it ripe for further exploitation. Adding insult to injury, the caller then asks for credit card details for a service fee. While most Lifehacker readers are probably savvy enough to avoid this kind of scam, it might be worth mentioning to any credulous friends or relatives. If you’re looking to keep your machine secure, check out our Hive Five on the best antivirus software.
PHONE CON: No, that is not “Microsoft” calling [APC]
More »
Money
1:08PM Angus Kidman | It’s National Consumer Fraud Awareness Week, which seems like a sound reason to revisit the topic of how to avoid getting fleeced online. Advice on how to avoid getting ripped off often seems obvious — but the continuing success of scams clearly suggests that obvious advice is often ignored. More »
Internet Scams Thrive In Tough Times
1:08PM Angus Kidman | It’s National Consumer Fraud Awareness Week, which seems like a sound reason to revisit the topic of how to avoid getting fleeced online. Advice on how to avoid getting ripped off often seems obvious — but the continuing success of scams clearly suggests that obvious advice is often ignored. More »
Fix
11:58AM Angus Kidman | Nigerian scam emails — you know, “I am the widow of the late head of Nigerian national bank and I need to smuggle $US5 billion out of an account, will you help me for a cut of the profits?” — make much more amusing reading than your typical Viagra-laden spam, but still need to head pronto to your email trash. Unfortunately, there’s a sucker born every minute who falls for this kind of con. Mahesh Sharma at AustralianIT reports on a rare scam with a happy ending: Queensland Police co-operated with the Nigerian Economic Financial Crimes Commission to apprehend a young man alleged to have bilked a Queenslander out of $20,000. While it’s good to know that not all online criminals get away with it, it’s always worth remembering the basic rule: no-one is about to send you a large amount of money for no effort. Don’t respond, just ditch it.
Nigerian held on Web fraud [AustralianIT]
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Nigerian Scammers Getting Caught Is No Reason To Succumb
11:58AM Angus Kidman | Nigerian scam emails — you know, “I am the widow of the late head of Nigerian national bank and I need to smuggle $US5 billion out of an account, will you help me for a cut of the profits?” — make much more amusing reading than your typical Viagra-laden spam, but still need to head pronto to your email trash. Unfortunately, there’s a sucker born every minute who falls for this kind of con. Mahesh Sharma at AustralianIT reports on a rare scam with a happy ending: Queensland Police co-operated with the Nigerian Economic Financial Crimes Commission to apprehend a young man alleged to have bilked a Queenslander out of $20,000. While it’s good to know that not all online criminals get away with it, it’s always worth remembering the basic rule: no-one is about to send you a large amount of money for no effort. Don’t respond, just ditch it.
Nigerian held on Web fraud [AustralianIT]
More »
Fix
9:12PM Angus Kidman | A new local survey from longstanding free antivirus favourite AVG gives some interesting insights into where Australians get caught out online. Now, this should be put into context: the survey found that 39% of Australians had been a victim of some kind of ‘cyber theft’, which is less than half of us. But which were the most common problems?
More »
Where Australians go wrong online
9:12PM Angus Kidman | A new local survey from longstanding free antivirus favourite AVG gives some interesting insights into where Australians get caught out online. Now, this should be put into context: the survey found that 39% of Australians had been a victim of some kind of ‘cyber theft’, which is less than half of us. But which were the most common problems?
More » 
