WTHR_The Risk inside your credit card

View this, you should be shocked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lLAFhTjsQHw&x-yt-ts=1421914688&x-yt-cl=84503534
News on Electronic Pickpocketing. You can find RFID protection wallets and sleeves that will help protect you. You can also see many more news stories about this at http://www.youtube.com/waltaugust

Free or heavily discounted voucher scam

SCAMwatch is urging consumers to be alert to scammers offering fake vouchers in exchange for financial and other personal information.
SCAMwatch continues to get reports from consumers about receiving emails, text messages and coming across social media posts possibly misusing the names and logos of well-known retailers such as Coles, Woolworths, ALDI, IGA, Bunnings and Myer.
Consumers are typically asked to click on a link, to complete a survey or to download a program to receive a free voucher, in some cases for an amount as high as $1 000. As a slight variation on this scam, consumers may be asked to pay a very small amount (sometimes even as low as just $1) to receive a voucher for a substantially higher amount.
Scammers often use such promotions as a disguise to collect credit card or bank account details and other personal information from consumers to access their money and commit identity theft.
Don’t be fooled by a fake promotion – verify whether the offer is legitimate by getting in touch with the retailer purportedly offering the voucher using contact details you find independently.

How these scams work

    * You receive an email or text message out of the blue, or come across a social media post, claiming that you will receive, or have the chance to win, a voucher from a well-known retailer.
    * The email, text message or social media post appears legitimate and may use official logos and trademarks (or their look-a-likes) to lure you into thinking it is the real deal.
    * To receive a free voucher, or to enter the draw, you may be asked to click on a link, to complete an online survey or to download a program. Alternatively, you may be prompted to pay a small amount to receive a voucher of significantly higher monetary value. 
    * Once you click on the link or agree to complete the survey, you will generally be taken to a website that appears legitimate and professional. The website will prompt you to provide your personal information, which may include your phone number, date of birth, address, qualifications and bank account or credit card details.  
    * In order to create a sense of urgency and to get you to provide your personal information without thinking, the website may claim that there are only few vouchers left, or give you limited time to fill in your information.
    * If you provide your financial or other personal information, you may receive an invalid voucher or you may not receive a voucher at all. You may also begin to receive unsolicited emails and phone calls requesting further information to be provided and the scammer may use your details to commit identity theft or to steal your money.

Protect yourself

    * Know who you’re dealing with – If you receive an email or text message out of the blue, or come across a social media post, claiming that you can receive a free or heavily discounted voucher, contact the retailer directly to verify the legitimacy of the offer. Don’t rely on numbers, email addresses or websites provided – find them through an independent source such as a phone book or online search.
    * If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is – Many scams will promote free or heavily discounted deals in order to make them harder to resist.
    * Don’t let scammers push your buttons – Many scams will create a sense of urgency to cloud your judgment. Remember to step back and think twice before handing over any personal information. 
    * Remember – these days, it’s easy for scammer to create a professional looking website and to use official logos and trademarks (or their look-a-likes).
    * If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.

Report

You can report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page on SCAMwatch [ https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/694011 ] or by calling 1300 795 995.

Don’t Be a Loser on eBay

Following just a few simple tips and tricks can make your auction bidding more successful--and more fun.

eBay is a great resource if you're looking to buy things at a discount--with everyone competing to sell their goods and castoffs, you can often find things a lot cheaper at this online marketplace than in a brick-and-mortar store. The downside: The low price that you see on many auction-only items is rarely the price you'll pay at the end of the auction if you win.

Seasoned eBay bidders tend to wait until the very last second to place their bids, leaving in the dust novice bidders who thought they had spotted a once-in-a-lifetime deal. If you're sick of that disappointment, here are some tips that should help you get onto the winning side of more eBay contests.

Bidding Assistance and Strategies

If you're too busy to keep up with auctions, a "sniping" service can submit your bid to eBay in the last few seconds of action. For example, on Auction Sniper you enter your maximum bid for an item, and it will input that bid 5 seconds before the auction closes. It's well worth submitting your absolute maximum bid with Auction Sniper, because eBay will set the price at only a small amount more than the next-highest bidder. For instance, if Auction Sniper bids $100 on an item for you, but the next-highest bidder bid $85, you'll pay only $86 for the item if you win.

Unfortunately, if someone else submits a higher bid than your Auction Sniper maximum before the auction is over, they'll still win.

Bidding manually is always a possibility, too. In the last 2 or 3 hours of an auction, check the bid history to see if it includes any aggressive bidders who might drive the price up. If so, hunker down and think of the maximum price you would bid--say, $50. Then, open two browser windows, both showing the same auction. In one window, enter your max bid and click Place Bid, but don't click Continue. In the second window, watch as the auction closes to the last 10 or 20 seconds. Then move back to the first window, click Continue, and click Confirm Bid on the next page. Chances are, you'll beat your competitors.

Don't let the Gringe steal Christmas.

 With Christmas just around the corner, SCAMwatch is reminding consumers to watch out for scammers taking advantage of the Christmas rush to leave you out of pocket and a present. 

Online shopping can be a great way to purchase presents, but unfortunately scammers also like shopping online too – for victims. Scammers set up fake websites with offers on popular items at prices well below the normal going price. These websites can be easily mistaken for legitimate online retailers with sophisticated designs that look just like the real thing. They may even use a ‘.com.au’ domain name or fake Australian Business Number (ABN).  However, the deal will end up being too good to be true, with the scammer taking your money and leaving you empty handed with a gift that never arrives.

Another common scam at this time of the year is the fake parcel delivery scam, where scammers jump on the Christmas mail rush by emailing Australians pretending to be from a legitimate parcel delivery service such as Australia Post or FedEx. These emails, which may be personalised with your name and address, inform the recipient that they missed a parcel delivery at home, with instructions on how to retrieve the package attached to the email. 

However, it is an executable file (.exe) and once opened, will install ransom-ware on your computer. Ransom-ware is a type of malware that restricts access to the computer system that it infects, and demands a ransom be paid to the creator(s) of the malware in order for the restriction to be removed. Even if you pay the ransom, there is no guarantee your computer will be unlocked and you’re likely to be up for expensive repairs to your computer and the loss of your data.

Another variation of the scam is where the scammer will offer, for a fee, to redeliver a parcel that doesn’t exist. The ‘courier’ will offer to re-deliver the parcel at a convenient time if you pay a fee of $10 to $30 via wire transfer or credit card. If you transfer money, you’ll never see it again. If you give your personal financial details, you’re accounts have been compromised.

Don’t let online scammers dampen your festive spirit this Christmas. Whether you’re going online to buy a present or to the post office to pick one up, make sure that the business or courier is the real deal.

How these scams work

Fake website scams

• While shopping online for Christmas, you come across a website selling products for great gifts.
• The product will often be a popular item, such as a smartphone, tablet or camera, at a really cheap price.
• The website may appear to be authentic, with a sophisticated design and content. It may even appear to be an Australian based business, with a ‘.com.au’ domain name and an Australian Business Number (ABN), which could have been stolen from a legitimate company.
• When you go to pay for your purchase, the site only offers you to pay via money order or wire transfer, rather than a secure payment method.
• If you go ahead with the ‘purchase’, you will never receive the product, or see your money again.

Fake delivery scams

• You are contacted out of the blue over the phone or via email from someone posing as an employee from a legitimate parcel delivery service.
• If you are contacted via email, it may look like the real deal, complete with a legitimate company’s logos and branding.  The sender may also claim to be from an authentic-sounding section of the company e.g. the ‘FedEx Delivery Department’.
• The scammer will claim that they have been unsuccessful in delivering a parcel to you; however, for a small fee, redelivery can be arranged. The scammer will provide a range of reasons as to why the initial delivery failed, such as the parcel being too large or no one being home at the time of the delivery. The scammer will ask for you to pay the fee by handing over your bank account details, or by sending money via international wire transfer.  If you transfer money, you’ll never see it again.
• Alternatively, consumers are told that they missed a parcel delivery at home and information on how to retrieve the package is attached to the email. However, it is an executable file (.exe) and once opened, will install ransomware on your computer.
• Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to the computer system that it infects, and demands a ransom be paid to the creator(s) of the malware in order for the restriction to be removed. Even if you pay the ransom, there is no guarantee your computer will be unlocked and you’re likely to be up for expensive repairs to your computer and the loss of your data.

Protect yourself

If you come across a website with an offer that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If a shopping site only offers you to pay by money order or wire transfer, steer clear - it’s rare to recover money sent this way. Only pay via secure payment methods – look for a web address starting with ‘https’ and a closed padlock symbol.

Remember – these days, it’s easy for a scammer to create a professional looking website or email. Double-check the email or website (URL) address, look for grammatical errors (a tell-tale sign of a scammer!), and if you have any doubts, don’t do anything such as respond, click on an attachment, or purchase something – no matter how good the offer is.

If you are suspicious about a ‘missed’ parcel delivery, call the company directly to verify that the correspondence is genuine. Independently source the contact details through an internet search or phone book – do not rely on numbers provided.

Do not click on links or download files in emails you  receive out of the blue; especially if they are executable (.exe) files or zip files. These files are likely to contain malware.

Regularly back-up your computer’s data on a separate hard drive so this can be easily re-installed if your computer is infected by malware or ransomware.

If you think you have been scammed, contact your financial institution immediately. If the scammer has posed as a legitimate company, you should also report the incident to them.

CCEnhancer

Download clean from : http://www.majorgeeks.com/mg/getmirror/ccenhancer,3.html
Operating Systems:Windows XP/Vista/7/8.1

Place Shortcut on desktop and run from there, Click on "Download Latest" then go to "Settings" and tick "Update on Windows Startup"and "Run CCleaner silently on compleation" then "Save and close".

CCEnhancer is a companion program that works with CCleaner to boost that program's thoroughness and effectiveness. You do have to have CCleaner already installed on your machine for this app to function in any way.

Pros
Immediate integration: CCEnhancer integrates immediately with CCleaner upon installation. All you have to do to access its increased functionality is to run CCleaner just as you've always done.
Noticeable difference: In order to measure the effectiveness of this program, we ran CCleaner on its own before installing CCEnhancer, and then again after. This showed clearly how well the addition of the second program boosted the scanning and cleaning power of the first. There were additional items found in all areas during the second scan, but the most dramatic difference appeared in the Registry scan.

Cons
Convoluted installation: Installing this app can be a little confusing, and it's hard to tell initially if you've done it right. It also asks you to update it as soon as you install, which seems like an unnecessary extra step.

Bottom Line
CCEnhancer is a convenient free program to help you keep your computer running at peak efficiency. While it's not a standalone option, it does work well with the free version of CCleaner, so you can get this enhanced cleaning combo completely free.

CCEnhancer uses the WinApp2.ini system built into CCleaner to easily add new rules and definitions for programs. The rules were sourced mainly from the Piriform Support Forum, with several sourced from other places around the internet.

Ransomware, Can you afford it.

Windows users infected with a particular Trojan downloads ransomware that encrypts computer files and demands Bitcoin payment to decode the data. According to Trend Micro, the Windows Trojan called Fareit is an information stealer that downloads other malware, such as Zeus. Recently, it has been determined that Fareit also downloads "Cribit."

One of the Cribit variants uses an English message for ransom, and another variant delivers a multilingual ransom note which includes 10 different languages. In the ransom note, users are directed to a Deep Web website accessible only through Tor. The malware demands $240 worth of Bitcoins. To avoid being infected, avoid clicking on embedded links in emails and keep your software updated on a very regular basis.

LIX 3D Pen

The smallest and smartest 3D printing pen in the world! Enables you to doodle in the air.
 If you've ever wanted to see your notebook doodles and 3-D designs to come to life, you might be in luck.

Meet Lix, "the smallest pen that does not require paper." The 3-D printing pen, created by a London-based company, allows you to doodle mid-air as plastic filament melts and hardens into a freestanding shape.

All you have to do is plug it into a USB port, and the pen takes less than a minute to heat up and be ready for doodling.

Watch the video to see how it works: http://lixpen.com/

http://www.policymic.com/articles/89285/this-3-d-printing-pen-will-change-how-you-write-forever