Urgent Text? Think Again. See the Latest SMS Traps
Red flags to look out for
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Pushing for immediate action
Act now,” “Pay today,” “Your service will be cut off.”
Use of fear or threats
“Your account is compromised,” “You’ll be fined if you don’t respond.”
Offers of rewards or bonuses
“Claim your refund today,” “Bonus points expiring.”
Pretending to be official and final
“Final notice,” “Last chance,” “Do not ignore.”
Examples of common scams
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Bank alerts
Pretend to be your bank, warning of account issues to trick you into giving details or transferring money.
Delivery delays
Fake texts about stuck packages that demand “immediate action.”
Legal threats
Imposters posing as government agencies, threatening arrest, fines, or deportation unless you pay up.
Service cut-offs
Claims your phone, insurance, or subscription will be cancelled unless you act now.
Top tips for avoiding SMS Scams
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Double-check the sender’s mobile number and email address. Even if it seems legitimate, think twice before taking any action.
Reach out to the company’s customer service directly for help and support.
Never click on dubious links or attachments! Stick to official websites and apps.
If you’ve accidentally revealed private information, change your passwords immediately and inform the companies that scammers may contact pretending to be you.
What to do if you’re scammed by SMS
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Cut contact
Don’t reply or engage further. Block the number to stop future messages.
Report it
Secure your accounts:
Call your bank immediately to cancel cards or accounts and add extra security.
Reset passwords on any accounts that may be at risk, especially those with sensitive info.
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Even Australians get it - so why not Kiwis???
“Ten years ago, if a heatwave as intense as last week’s record-breaker had hit the east coast, Australia’s power supply may well have buckled. But this time, the system largely operated as we needed, despite some outages.
On Australia’s main grid last quarter, renewables and energy storage contributed more than 50% of supplied electricity for the first time, while wholesale power prices were more than 40% lower than a year earlier.
[…] shifting demand from gas and coal for power and petrol for cars is likely to deliver significantly lower energy bills for households.
Last quarter, wind generation was up almost 30%, grid solar 15% and grid-scale batteries almost tripled their output. Gas generation fell 27% to its lowest level for a quarter century, while coal fell 4.6% to its lowest quarterly level ever.
Gas has long been the most expensive way to produce power. Gas peaking plants tend to fire up only when supply struggles to meet demand and power prices soar. Less demand for gas has flowed through to lower wholesale prices.”
Full article: www.theguardian.com...
If even Australians see the benefit of solar - then why is NZ actively boycotting solar uptake? The increased line rental for electricity was done to make solar less competitive and prevent cost per kWh to rise even more than it did - and electricity costs are expected to rise even more. Especially as National favours gas - which is the most expensive form of generating electricity. Which in turn will accelerate Climate Change, as if New Zealand didn’t have enough problems with droughts, floods, slips, etc. already.
Time to Tickle Your Thinker 🧠
If a zookeeper had 100 pairs of animals in her zoo, and two pairs of babies are born for each one of the original animals, then (sadly) 23 animals don’t survive, how many animals do you have left in total?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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Poll: As a customer, what do you think about automation?
The Press investigates the growing reliance on your unpaid labour.
Automation (or the “unpaid shift”) is often described as efficient ... but it tends to benefit employers more than consumers.
We want to know: What do you think about automation?
Are you for, or against?
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9.5% For. Self-service is less frustrating and convenient.
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43.3% I want to be able to choose.
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47.2% Against. I want to deal with people.
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