topic Spam Emails to Identify Theft in Community Spirit

Spam Emails to Identify Theft

jetho1680 — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 03:31:02 GMT

This morning I contacted a Government Dept to report a scam email that appeared to come from “mygov”

I was fortunate to speak with a person who was very helpful and explained in detail how a scam first starts from when there is a digital breach of a server or from just about anywhere on the net where a person has entered email addresses, personal information etc, which can result in anywhere from spam and scam emails to full identity theft and often will happen long after a breach has happened.

I was given a web site address, entered my email address and it showed the details of 2 breaches had happened earlier in the year and two months apart. It was suggested that I change my passwords if they are the same at the time breaches occurred as a precautionary measure.

Web address

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

Passwords can be checked for breaches and recommends changing or not to use them.

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

imastawka — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 05:04:54 GMT

I'm unsure that I want to enter my email addy into an unknown email addy to see if I've been hacked or not.

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

ambercat16 — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 05:11:00 GMT

I'm with you Stawka. Isn't that exactly what they tell us not to do?

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

sandypebbles — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 05:13:44 GMT

Agreed

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

domino-710 — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 05:15:35 GMT

I don't usually - but I seemed to trust the source.

Mine came up with 3 - all remembered sites - but only from 3 years ago.

Not bothered - have very good security.

Except for the now ongoing - persona non gratis with Westpac - they have a current glllitttz.

After 30 years of banking - I can log in - but can't pay a bill etc - seems I'm a scammer.

I have rung twice - yep - fix on it's way.

Stupid thing is the site asks me to go down to my branch - ID myself - which isn't going to happen - why ?? - cause if it is an IT glitzzzz - there is nothing to be gained - they would be helpless to do anything till the prob is corrected.

Their problem - told them they would pay any late fees on accounts not paid or late.

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

imastawka — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 05:48:58 GMT

I don't do on-line banking, but can you set up BPay while you're arguing about it.?

At least the bills get paid that way.

Unless, of course, the glitch rules that out as well

.....or is it BPay that's the problem?...........

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

shoppingbag* — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 05:57:46 GMT

I get notified of "so called" breaches every now and then, and I have learnt to ignore them. It used to tell me that someone else had logged into my email account from an unknown device. I started keeping a diary of the time and day every time I checked my emails, and lo and behold IT WAS ME! Stupid computers sometimes think you are on the other side of the country and on another device, and it has claimed logins from as much as 2,000 kms away at the very time that I had logged in. I did a little research online and found that others had discovered this has happened to them. Also, every now and then when I am logging into one of my usual sites it will tell me that I am logging in from an unknown device, WRONG..it is me, same computer and same person logging in. While I am not totally discounting what you are claiming, as I am sure there are breaches that amount to problems, just recounting my experiences. I have ignored these so called breaches now for many years, and no-one has stolen my identity or caused me any problems. I don't keep personal details in my computer and follow all the usual rules about keeping safe online.

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

shoppingbag* — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 06:00:55 GMT

Just an added note to my last reply. Have any of you noticed when you are searching Google for products that the computer gives you all the stores the other side of town to where you are, like it cannot identify your location! This happens to me all the time.

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

lionrose.7 — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 06:22:46 GMT

Yes I live in The Bay of Plenty and on my face book I kept getting things from cafes and businesses in Christchurch, not even the same Island LOL

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

davewil1964 — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:07:01 GMT

I use my phone as my internet connection since my modem died. Google still thinks I'm in Sydney, which it always did due to the fact that mobile modems use dynamic IP addresses from an allocated block, registered in Sydney in Telstra's case.

I have no problem finding a store in my vicinity. I know where I am, and I know where they are.

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

wide-world-of-stamps — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:12:02 GMT

Not just the other side of town, but hundreds of kilometres away!

Quite often not even in the same state.

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

imastawka — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:27:25 GMT

Has anybody actually thought about telling their computer their location in settings?

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

davewil1964 — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:31:08 GMT

@imastawka wrote:
Has anybody actually thought about telling their computer their location in settings?

I am quite happy not to.

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

wide-world-of-stamps — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:33:04 GMT

No, it isn't necessary for my computer (and different websites) to know.

Also, it's quite amusing to see where I'm supposedly situated at times.

Just like a virtual tour of Australia.

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

domino-710 — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:37:38 GMT

Last I looked - hello - I live next door. lol

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

imastawka — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 02:16:53 GMT

Wish I lived next door.

The house is much nicer and I'd have better neighbours hahahahaha

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

the_great_she_elephant — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 02:24:36 GMT

I checked out You Have Been Pwned. It seems to have a universal tick of approval from tech. sites.

https://computing.which.co.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/115005168849-What-to-do-if-you-ve-been-pwned

The best known site for checking if your email address, or any account associated with it, has been hacked, is called Have I Been Pwned.

Here, you can enter your email address (safely) and the site will check it against multiple data breach records. If your account details were included in one of those breaches, you'll be told the bad news that you've been 'pwned'.

To find out if your own email address has been affected by a data breach, head to the Have I Been Pwned website. You’ll need to enter your email address here – don’t worry, there’s no security threat to doing so, and you’ll never be asked to enter a password or other personal data.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-websites-for-finding-out-if-youve-been-hacked/

Have I Been Pwned is one of the oldest, most popular, and best sites in the game. The site works hard to track down breaches, verify them as legitimate, and catch data so you can check it out.

https://cybersecurity.osu.edu/cybersecurity-you/avoid-threats/have-i-been-pwned

If a company you have an account with has suffered a data breach it’s possible your email may have been pwned, which means your email and password for that site’s account has been exposed to cybercriminals. haveibeenpwned.com(link is external) is a website that checks if an account has been compromised.

Re: Spam Emails to Identify Theft

jetho1680 — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:21:41 GMT

NSW Drivers Licences exposed on Amazon's Cloud Service.

Names, photos, birth dates and addresses of 54000 drivers revealed.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-01/nsw-drivers-licence-data-breach-under-investigation/12611918