How to avoid being scammed on mobile or computer

• Be sceptical… if in doubt DON’T
• Avoid clicking on links in SMS unless you are certain the SMS is genuine.
• Stay vigilant and don’t be pressured to make a payment.. ever
• Never click on links in emails you’re unsure of
• Always check spelling and grammar of emails and SMS
• No banking or online shopping on public wi-fi networks
• Before you pay anyone any money check with a family member for advice. Very often scammers cant spell.
• When sending money pay a small amount “$1” to your trusted recipient and ensure that they have it before sending the balance
• Set up your bank account to receive via PAYID (mobile phone number or email address). That way you dont have to give out Bank account details. Yes some on marketplace and gumtree will try and scam using PAYID but this is not a weakness in the system.

Gmail : How to customise your Gmail email address without really changing it

Change your gmail email address using the + sign to register on social websites. For example you could use myemailaddress+facebook@gmail.com to sign up for facebook or myemailaddress+insta@gmail.com to sign up for instagram. Anything after the + sign will work as Gmail ignores the appended word.

If you then see spam arriving in your myemailaddress@gmail.com email account using a myemailaddress+xxxx address then you know that this site was either hacked or they sold on your email address.

Windows 10 + 11 touchpad

Swipe up or down on your touchpad using 3 fingers to minimise or restore all windows.

Snap a windows 10 or 11 window to the left or right side of the screen

To snap with a keyboard, select the window you want to snap and press the Windows logo key and left arrow simultaneously or the Windows logo key and right arrow to snap the window to your preferred side of the screen.

Microsoft Word : To create a horizontal line across any page

Press any of these characters 3 times and press enter

Bypass using a Microsoft account when setting up Windows 11 for the first time

1. Disable the Internet connection before starting setup, e.g., by disconnecting the LAN cable or disabling Wi-Fi.
2. Windows will display a “Let’s connect you to a network” or similar screen. The upcoming Windows 11 version 22H2 does not allow you to skip this anymore to create a local account.
3. On the screen, use Shift-F10 to open a command prompt window.
4. Type OOBE\BYPASSNRO and hit the Enter-key.
5. Then you select “Continue with limited setup” to then create a local account during setup.
6. Windows will reboot and return to the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen. Only this time, you may select “I don’t have Internet” to skip this.

Having Problems with internet dropping out ?

Here are some possible reasons;

1. The cable from the street into your house might be faulty (especially in wet weather) – Contact your ISP (internet service provider) and request NBN to check the pit and cabling. 
2. Your modem is old or not updated with the latest firmware supporting reliable NBN – replace or update your modem. 
3. Your home cabling might have old phone sockets in the house interfering with NBN signal and causing issues – remove or disconnect old Phone sockets 
4. Poor quality powerboards, cables and tarnished connectors in your house – check all cables and devices and replace old equipment 
5. Poorly located or old wifi router  – relocate your wifi router and replace if a few years old. 

More tech tips coming soon…..