The remote access scam where people ring up claiming to be Microsoft has changed to have a more local flavour, with callers now claiming to be from Telstra or BigPond, according to the government.
The scammers will claim that they have noticed problems with the user's computer or phone line, and might claim that the broadband connection has been hacked, according to Scamwatch.
This could strike a chord with some users, after a truckie hacked his way into internet service provider (ISP) Platform Networks, which many media outlets reported incorrectly as a National Broadband Network (NBN) hack.
Like the Microsoft scam, the caller will request remote access to the user's computer and will run a "scan" that will discover a fake virus, which will then prompt them to sell the user software or a service to fix the computer, asking for personal or bank details.
Telstra told the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which runs Scamwatch, that it never asks for credit card details over the phone to fix computer problems, adding that it is not affiliated with any companies that do.
The ACCC recommended that users hang up if they receive a phone call out of the blue requesting remote access.
The four PNG students arrived on Sunday 17th July on their short term exchange. The students will be attending East Maitland Public School during their four week stay. Two boy and two girls are Four Papua New Guinean children, local Rotary Clubs and East Maitland Public School are enjoying learning about each others’ respective culture through a unique Rotary program led by the Rotary club of East Maitland.
The students had another big weekend starting by catching the train into Newcastle then going to the beach and spending some time swimming ( PNG kids did ) before going to Blackbutt reserve for a BBQ and then feeding of the animals. On Sunday it was off to the NRL to watch Newcastle Knights defeat the Canberra Raiders 40 - 8 and afterwards meet the players from the Newcastle Knights. Then on Monday it was off to school and this week being their last before returning home to PNG next week