As the end of the year draws nearer, reports of scams have increased with scammers using increasingly sophisticated methods to part the unaware from their money. Recent scam reports take advantage of seasonal trends, with an uptick in scams impersonating the ATO or appearing to be about a package delivery. Here's all the dodgy emails and phone calls to look out for.

The first time you have to make a doctor's appointment for yourself can make you wish for the days - perhaps not long ago - when Mum or Dad did all this for you. And if you're the parent in this scenario, it might be hard to step back. Here's a guide to help young adults take charge of their health care.

Over the last eight years a lot of things have changed. And amongst all the new gadgets, technical advancement and rise of cloud-based technologies there has been one major shift - the commercialisation of cybercrime. Which makes the government's cluelessness about cyber risk even more confounding. Today, we learn that the Health Professionals Online Services (HPOS) system has not been updated since it was implemented eight years ago.

Over the last couple of days, a major privacy story has broken with a journalist from The Guardian buying their Medicare records from a source on the dark web. Today, Health Minister Alan Tudge has said the data, which can be bought for around $25 per record, is not part of a massive leak but more likely the accessing of data using stolen account credentials.

An alarming report has revealed the private Medicare card details of any Australian are available to buy via "The Medicare Machine" - a darknet vendor exploiting an alleged vulnerability in the government agency which the seller hopes is "here to stay".

The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released a new draft paper on the effectiveness of homeopathy following an in-depth analysis across 68 different health conditions. Unsurprisingly, the paper concludes that there is no reliable evidence that homoeopathy is effective for treating any ailment. Rather, it's a potentially dangerous pseudoscience that can dupe patients into rejecting conventional and effective treatments.

Dear Lifehacker, When does private health insurance become worth it? With all the rules surrounding tax breaks (or penalties) for not having it, it can be difficult to decide if it's a good use of my money. Thanks, Privatised

The bulk of patient complaints in Australia are directed against the same small group of repeat offenders, a new study has found. The report discovered that just 3 per cent of doctors account for nearly half of all registered complaints. The paper also identifies the risk factors that point towards a complaint-prone doctor.

It's that time of year again. On April 1, health insurance premiums will rise across the board in Australia, prompting yet another raid on your abused piggy bank. Here's an overview of the damage.

Dear Lifehacker, As a 25 year old male with a long-term partner, with no medical problems, do I need hospital cover or can I get away with just extras cover? Thanks, Insurance Investigator

Sounds good to me: Medicare is going to eliminate cash payments in its offices from this year, offering instant direct deposits into your bank account using your EFTPOS card instead.