How to be aware of cyber scams 

This month marks Cyber Security Awareness Month, with this year’s theme: “Be cyber wise – don’t compromise”. 

The campaign urges people to:                    

• update your devices regularly, 
• turn-on multi-factor authentication, 
• backup your important files, and  
• use passphrases and password managers.  

One cybercrime was reported every seven minutes in the 2021-2022 financial year, a 13% increase from the previous 12 months, according to the Federal Government’s Australian Signals Directorate Australian Cyber Security Centre. 

Some scams can be immediately identified so simply delete the text message or email (don’t open them) or hang up the phone and don’t give it a second thought. However, some scam callers are so convincing that you may be unsure how to proceed. 

If people feel something’s not right, talk to friends and family and tell them what you are experiencing, and they may notice red flags that you missed. 

Small changes that protect people from becoming vulnerable to a cyber scam

• Use strong passwords and a password manager, 
• Use a combination of letters, numbers and characters, 
• Do not use names, dates or words that could be easily guessed, 
• When needing to update passwords, change it completely rather than just changing a couple of characters or numbers, 
• Try to use phrases or random words, 
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), 
• Do not open any suspicious text messages, pop-up windows or click on hyperlinks,  
• Do not agree to any requests asking for remote access to your computer, 
• Do not participate in surveys which ask for significant personal information,  
• Review your bank statements regularly for unauthorised transactions, 
• Do not share your bank or card details with anyone, 
• Keep yourself informed of current known scams through Scamwatch.gov.au and learn the cyber basics from the Australian Cyber Security Centre through cyber.gov.au/learn-basics