NBN Co. and MidCoast Libraries host Scam Awareness Seminars in Tea Gardens Library Myall Coast Myall Coast - popup ad Myall Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - June 7, 2023 Computer scams are rife today. SCAMS are ubiquitous these days, and awareness was the message that was delivered by the National Broadband Network Company (NBNCo) and MidCoast Libraries, at Tea Gardens Library on Wednesday, 31 May. The information session, run by Mark Poole, Community Ambassador for North Coast, NBNCo, was slated as a chance for interested locals to learn how to recognise phone and internet scams. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au As we are surrounded by technology, and many essential services force its use with no other options, certain portions of the population may feel overwhelmed, making the scammers’ job all the easier. The most popular appear to be the most viciously heartless, including too-good-to-be-true offers for investments, fake charities, buying pets, amazing job opportunities, unexpected ‘winnings’, and, perhaps most heartless of all, dating and romance scams. “We have all encountered some sort of scam, and we may not have known at the time,” Mr Poole explained. It was a spirited discussion from the get-go, as attendees shared anecdotes ranging from close calls to all-out horror stories, in which unwitting victims had been duped out of large sums of money. Perhaps the most confronting revelation was that scammers can ply their victims with remarkable speed, usually by inducing a series of panic, fear and suspicion, followed by gut-wrenching guilt and embarrassment, as victims are usually unwilling to tell anyone about their situation. “For any unexpected inbound contact, just slow down,” was Mr Poole’s top piece of advice. “These days, we have been trained to react instantly, especially to our mobile phones – a few extra seconds of thought could save you a lot of hassle. “Do not give any information, for any reason – institutions like banks and telcos will never ask you for remote access to your computer, and you should call them directly and ask about anything you have just received with their name on it.” Further useful information can be found at scamwatch.gov.au, as well as https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/publications/the-little-black-book-of-scams. By Thomas O’KEEFE ACCC’s ‘Little Black Book’ is an amazingly compact resource that everyone should access.
