Seniors

Got a new smartphone, tablet, laptop or smart device? Congratulations! But before you dive in, take a few minutes to setup your device securely and protect your personal info, identity and digital life from cyber threats. Here’s a simple, practical checklist designed for Australians, to help you stay safe, secure and connected.

Picture this: Santa’s just finished checking the weather over the Nullarbor, Mrs Claus is sipping a flat white, and the elves are tuning up the sleigh for the big run Down Under. All seems merry — until a dodgy email nearly wrecks Christmas Eve. It happened like this …

If you’re a tradie or sole trader, software updates are probably low on your priority list. You’ve got jobs to quote, invoices to send, tools to maintain, and customers waiting. An update that pops up during the workday feels like bad timing. However, skipping updates is one of the biggest cyber risks facing tradies and one-person businesses in Australia. Cyber criminals actively target sole traders because they know time is tight, and systems are often left unpatched.

Every year, around Christmas, retailers offer genuine bargains, and unfortunately, there is also a surge in cyber scams. Scammers know people are rushed, distracted, and eager to grab a deal. They take advantage of this moment with fake websites, dodgy emails, and convincing messages designed to separate you from your money or personal details. Learn our simple ways to spot a cyber scam...

In today’s digital world, most of us have dozens of online accounts — from banking to shopping to social media. Using the same password everywhere, or easy-to-guess ones, makes it much easier for cyber criminals to break in and steal your identity, money or data. That’s where password managers come in.

The Christmas holiday season brings joy, generosity, and… a flurry of online activity. For many Australians, that means gifts, online shopping, festive greetings, and maybe a new device or two. But it can also attract cyber-scammers looking to take advantage of the hurry and goodwill. At Arafura Consulting & Media, we believe — Smart • Secure • Connected — means enjoying the holidays safely. Here’s how you (and your loved ones) can stay protected online this festive seaso

More and more of us manage finances and make purchases online — from paying bills to buying gifts. It’s convenient, but also means we need to be a little more careful. Here are some straightforward steps you can take to protect your money and your personal information when banking or shopping over the internet.

A newly compiled collection of 1.3 billion unique passwords and 2 billion unique email addresses has been discovered online. This data wasn’t stolen in a single “big breach” of a company or service. Instead, it’s an aggregate, compiled by the threat intelligence firm Synthient, which scoured both the open and dark web to collect credentials from hundreds of past data breaches, lists used for “credential-stuffing,” and logs from malware-infected devices.

Online shopping is a wonderful convenience, from ordering gifts for grandkids, to getting groceries or essentials delivered straight to your door. But shopping online also comes with risks. Cyber criminals often use online stores to try to steal personal or financial information. That’s why it’s wise to take a few simple precautions before you click “Buy”.

Let’s imagine this: you’ve just sat down with a cup of tea, comfortable in front of your laptop, breezing through your emails. A message lands in your inbox claiming to be from your bank or from someone you know. It looks genuine. The logo is correct. The language seems right. Yet… something feels off. That “feeling” is important. Because in the digital age, one of the trickiest threats isn’t always what meets the eye — it’s what’s pretending to be something else. This trick

Every time you post, shop, or sign up online, you share a bit of yourself. Over time, that trail of data — your birthday, address, even your pet’s name — builds a digital picture. Scammers love that picture because it helps them guess passwords, target scams, or even open fake accounts in your name.

Every year, late November brings two big shopping events that started in the United States: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Fake online stores, unbelievable discounts, and dodgy payment links often appear during this period, and all are designed to trick you into handing over money or personal information. The good news? A few simple checks can help you spot a scam before it spots you.

Remember when doing the shopping meant a trip into town, queuing at the checkout, and lugging bags back to the car? These days, you can buy almost anything from the comfort of your favourite armchair — from groceries and gardening supplies to gifts for the grandkids. It's marvellous, really. A few clicks on your computer or tablet, and it arrives at your doorstep.

In these modern times, online shopping and banking are part of everyday life. We shop for groceries, clothing and goods online. We pay our bills online. We conduct our banking online. But not every website is what it seems. Scammers build fake shops that look real — complete with professional logos and “limited-time” deals. You might think you’re buying a gift, but what you’re really doing is handing over your credit card to a stranger.

You can do almost anything on your phone these days — pay bills, book travel, watch the grandkids on video, or even manage your investments. But as more of us rely on apps, scammers have moved in too. Fake apps are one of the fastest-growing digital scams in Australia. Some look exactly like trusted brands. Others hide dangerous software that can steal personal details or quietly charge your credit card. Here’s how to spot them before they catch you out.

very day, we use our phones, tablets, and computers to connect, shop, and stay in touch with the people we care about. These devices make life easier — but they can also expose us to risks if we’re not careful. The good news? Keeping your data and devices safe doesn’t require a degree in technology. It just takes a few simple habits that protect your personal information and give you peace of mind.

Most people don’t realise they’ve been infected. It's common for some malware to lie dormant on your computer, while it looks for ways to spread itself to other computers in your home or workplace, and looks for ways to spread to your friends, family and work colleagues via various messenger services.

Realising you’ve been scammed can feel awful — embarrassing, frustrating, and sometimes frightening. But you’re not alone, and there are clear steps you can take to limit the damage and protect yourself.

Once upon a time, scam emails were easy to spot — clumsy spelling, strange stories about a foreign prince, and promises of easy money. Those days are gone. Today’s smart scam emails look sharper, sound more believable, and use new tricks (including artificial intelligence) to fool even the savviest of us. Here’s how some of the latest email scams work — and what you can do to protect yourself.

You’ve probably heard the term “money mule” on the news, but what does it actually mean?