Chief Digital Health Officer, Dr Jason Brown
Each year, cybercrime continues to increase in frequency, cost, and severity. In the 2022 – 2023 financial year, the Australian Cyber Security Centre blocked the creation of over 67 million malicious web addresses distributing malware, phishing attacks, or other forms of cybercrime.
During the holiday season, scammers try to take advantage of sale events and increased online activity to run identity theft, online banking, and online shopping scams. These include parcel delivery scams, impersonation scams on social media, and fake websites with deals too good to be true. All of these scams attempt to steal your personal data, such as your identity or bank details.
To avoid getting caught up in scams this Christmas, make sure you keep your personal and professional information safe online. Be cautious of fake parcel delivery scams and check that the email identifies you by name and specifies what goods they are attempting to deliver. Vet all emails thoroughly to ensure they are from a known entity, and beware of answering calls, texts, or social media requests from unknown numbers or accounts. If in doubt, contact the entity via details which you have sourced independently from previous interactions or via a search engine, and never click on any links contained in suspicious emails.
Limit online shopping to well-known retailers or secure websites (these should have a padlock and https:// at the beginning of the web address) with secure payment services or credit card transactions. Avoid buying goods from companies asking for unusual payment methods such as cheques or cryptocurrency, or that offer discounts for payments made via bank transfer.
The best cyber defences start with an awareness of the risks and vulnerabilities we face online. To raise awareness of common scams, we have published 12 tips to avoid scams this Christmas on the Cyber Security and Information Privacy and Governance QHEPS page. Awareness of these scams will help you to stay safe online over the holiday period.
Jason.