TODAY'S HEADLINES

Are you a VICTIM ... I am!

Good afternoon fellow members,

This NEWS Bulletin is a very serious private message to all our loyal members who need to be warned of unscrupulous people and organisations who prey on those of us who are not internet savvy.

Many scams originate overseas or take place over the internet, making them very difficult to track down and prosecute. These scammers target Australians because Australian Government does NOT have international jurisdiction to investigate nor prosecute them, however they can notify the regulator in the scammers country so that regulator may pursue these illegal activities. If you lose money to a scam, its unlikely that you will ever recover your loss.

The ACCC, Crime stoppers, Scam watch, Small Business Commission or your local Ombudsmen publish web-sites to help consumers recognise and prevent scams. Their role extends beyond preventing scams and include other areas of consumer protection, infrastructure, regulation, cartels, and other forms of anti competitive conduct ONLY IN AUSTRALIA.

Here are a few web-sites that will help you assist you to recognise who they are and what you need to do.

http://www.scamwatch.gov.au
http://www.afp.gov.au/policing/cybercrime/internet-fraud-and-scams.aspx
https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/scams/companies-you-should-not-deal-with

         Banking and on-line accounts scams
         Chain Letter and Pyramid scams
         Health and medical scams
         Identity Theft scams
         Investment scams (get rich quick)
         Job & employment scams
         Lottery and competition scams (fake prizes)
         Mobile Phone scams
         Money transfer scams (Nigerian scams)
         Online scams
         Personalised scams
         Small business scams

Are You a Victim
What is a victim list?

Lists may have initially been compiled by direct marketing companies or list brokers for genuine marketing purposes. Increasingly however these lists are created and traded by scammers on the blackmarket. Lists also increasingly identify individuals who may be particularly vulnerable to deceptive offers and scams.

Victim lists can contain a variety of sensitive personal and financial information.

Scammers will trawl the internet for your personal details and have also been known to search public phone books and online directories, your postal mailbox or even your recycling bin to get hold of discarded personal documents such as bank statements and bills.

Victim lists are sometimes referred to by scammers as lead lists or suckers lists, however you are far from a sucker if your name is on a list. You might end up on a list if you have ever replied to a promotion sent to you or if you have subscribed to a service online and failed to tick the box requesting that your contact details not be passed on. The stigma or embarrassment of being on one of these lists can wrongly make victims think they are to blame, and discourage them from reporting these crimes or seeking help.

Scams using victim lists

One example occurs when someone falls victim to a scam, providing money to a scammer. Following payment, they are contacted out of the blue by either the same or another scammer posing as a law enforcement officer or a private investigating body. The scammer will tell the victim that they have been scammed and will request payment so that the law enforcement body can investigate the scam to try and retrieve the money lost.

The fake law enforcement officer may alternatively claim that they have caught the initial scammer and that the victim is entitled to a refund of their money if they first pay an upfront fee.

Scammer often pretend to be from overseas law enforcement so the victim cannot easily call the body to verify the legitimacy of the investigation or refund offer.

Warning signs

You receive a number of offers/scam approaches out of the blue, often via unsolicited phone calls, emails or letters.

You may have fallen victim to a scam previously and within 12 months receive a similar suspicious approach.

You have registered your details on a website and may have failed to tick a box requesting that your contact details not be sold or passed on.

Protect yourself from being added to a victim list

Be cautiousif you receive any offer which seems too good to be true, it probably is. Hang up immediately, delete the email or ignore the letter!

Do not respond to scam emails, even to unsubscribe or to say you know it is a scam!

If you have fallen victim to a scam or you receive a lot of unsolicited emails and phone calls consider changing your email address and phone numbers.

Never give your details to any company or provide them through a website, regardless of what they are offering, unless you are sure they can be trusted.

If you are considering providing your details to a company via their website, read their privacy policy/terms and conditions first. If you do not agree with how they will use your details, do not provide them.

When subscribing to a service or completing an application form, most companies will give you the option to tick a box requesting that your details are not shared with any other companies. Be alert this option may be hidden at the end of the form or in small print.

Keep your postal mail safe by placing a lock on your mailbox.

Always shred/destroy personal documents before you dispose of them.

As well as following these specific tips, find out how to protect yourself from all sorts of other scams.

Report scams

If you think youve spotted a scam, report a scam to SCAMwatch or contact the ACCC on 1300 795 995. You should also spread the word to your friends and family to protect them.

I am a Victim!

Back in 2009 I fell victim to an off shore scamming company, in fact the company boasted that it was a web-site designed to protect victims from scams.

I received a call from a distraught member in July 2009, who I had known for many years stating that there were terrible comments about me on the internet. I immediately googled the web-site which was very cleverly designed, looked official and I was shocked to see what was written about The FIRM and me personally.

He promises the world, requests money, never does any of his promises and does not return any money. Do not do business with this person or any of his companies.

Vanessa P
Orlando, Florida
USA
July 2009

I replied to the web-site stating that I have never sold property to anyone outside Australia, nor do I receive any money from any client, in fact I get paid by the developer. They replied back saying that they do not remove comments from their web-site however they would publish my comments for a fee of $2,000, which was suspicious in itself let alone the ongoing fees.

I was of opinion and advised that the web-site maybe a scam for extortion itself and will probably close down. It was also out of Australias jurisdiction so very little could be done.

Now fast forward to today and the web-site is still active, in fact they have duplicated another web-site under complaints here in Australia. I have now reported and made statements to all the authorities here in Australia and the web-site is currently under full Federal Government investigation for Extortion and Defamation.

I would like to let all of my members know that I am a victim of a scurrilous smear campaign against my name and all of my companies which has been published on the internet.

         I have not committed fraud on any person.

         I have never taken money that was not legally entitled.

         To the best of my knowledge no client has complained about my conduct.

         No client has ever complained to me about my conduct.

         I have never been investigated by ASIC.

         I have never been investigated by any regulatory authority.

         I have never been investigated by the police.

         I am totally innocent of any allegations in these publications.

I will keep you posted as to the results, these comments have had a serious effect on me personally, my family, friends, financially and our company that we are so proud to be a associated with over all these years.

Enjoy the rest of your week and look forward to your comments.

Stay HEALTHY, WEALTHY and WISE until next time!!!

Latest NEWS HEADLINES

'Capital City median house price at new historic high'

Good morning everyone,

Another perfect day in paradise as I look out my window watching all the boats cruising by so I will make this brief so I can join them J

The Capital City medium house price rose by 1.1% in October mainly due to gains in Sydney and Melbourne according to ANZ Research.

It now sits at an historic high of $681,640

Melbourne House prices jumped 2.2% month on month in October, after falling a similar amount in September. Sydney house prices rose the 17th month in succession with a 1.2% spike.

Melbourne and Sydney were the only cities that had a moderate increase with Brisbane, Perth and Canberra only rising by less than 1%Darwin, Hobart and Adelaide experienced drops in their price levels.Capital City median house prices: