Queensland Consumer Watch

QLD Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Large Hail, Damaging Winds

QLD Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Large Hail, Damaging Winds

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

For people in the Darling Downs and Granite Belt, Southeast Coast and parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Wide Bay and Burnett and Maranoa and Warrego Forecast Districts.

Issued at 11:34 am Tuesday, 29 October 2013.

Thunderstorms have developed over the Darling Downs and are moving towards the east. It is likely thunderstorms could become severe within the warning area over the next several hours. Damaging winds and large hailstones are likely. Locations which may be affected include Warwick, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Dalby, Roma, Coolangatta, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and islands, Kingaroy, Stanthorpe and Goondiwindi.

Emergency Management Queensland advises that people should:
* Move your car under cover or away from trees.
* Secure loose outdoor items.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.

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QLD Severe Weather Forecast

QLD Severe Weather Forecast

The following is an advisory produced by the Early Warning Network. An SMS has not been sent with this message.

Tuesday 29 October

There is an increased threat of severe thunderstorms across Southeast Queensland this afternoon and again this evening/tonight. Some of these are likely to contain damaging winds, large hail and possibly heavy rainfall.

EWN issues a daily Significant Weather Threat Map for Australia. This is produced each morning and highlights threats for the next 24 hours.

You can view this on our homepage or our facebook pages.

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Google Alert - "Queensland Scam"

News	1 new result for "Queensland Scam"

Queensland regions must grow: Premier - Brisbane Times

Entitled Queensland Scam, the aim is to win the hearts and minds of the now-dejected populace under occupation. Stage 1, a series of cleverly-devised pseudo ...

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QLD Fire Weather Warning

QLD Fire Weather Warning

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

for the North West, Channel Country, Maranoa and Warrego, Darling Downs and Granite Belt and Southeast Coast forecast districts

Issued at 3:13 pm EST on Thursday 10 October 2013.

Weather Situation

High temperatures, dry air, and fresh and gusty west to northwesterly winds ahead of a surface trough, will extend through the southern interior and the southeast.

For the rest of Thursday 10 October:

Extreme Fire Danger in the following forecast district:
Channel Country

Severe Fire Danger in the following forecast districts:
North West, Maranoa and Warrego and Darling Downs and Granite Belt

For Friday 11 October:

Severe Fire Danger is forecast for the following forecast districts:
Darling Downs and Granite Belt and Southeast Coast
The Rural Fire Service Queensland advises that fires may be unpredictable, uncontrollable and fast-moving.

The Rural Fire Service Queensland advises you to:

Check your bushfire survival plan - Now.
Monitor the fire and weather situation in any way you can through www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au and www.bom.gov.au, television or radio.
Call Triple Zero if you see a fire.

The Rural Fire Service Queensland advises that if you are in an area of Extreme Fire Danger:

Leaving is the only option for your survival.
If you plan to leave finalise your options and leave early on the day.
A well prepared and well constructed home may not be safe.

The Rural Fire Service Queensland advises that if you are in an area of Severe Fire Danger:

Leaving is the safest option for your survival.
If you plan to leave finalise your options and leave early on the day.
Only stay if your home is well prepared and well constructed and you can actively defend it.
Prepare for the emotional, mental and physical impact of defending your property - if in doubt, leave early.

For information on Fire Bans and how to Prepare. Act. Survive. Visit the Rural Fire Service web page at www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au or call the hotline on 1800 020 440.

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QLD Fire Weather Warning

QLD Fire Weather Warning

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

for the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Central West, Channel Country, Maranoa and Warrego, Darling Downs and Granite Belt, Wide Bay and Burnett and Southeast Coast forecast districts

Issued at 1:18 pm EST on Sunday 6 October 2013.

Weather Situation

High temperatures, very dry air, and fresh and gusty westerly winds in the wake of a surface trough will extend through the south during the day.
For the rest of Sunday 6 October:

Severe Fire Danger in the following forecast district:
Darling Downs and Granite Belt
For Monday 7 October:

Extreme Fire Danger is forecast for the following forecast districts:
Darling Downs and Granite Belt and Southeast Coast
The Rural Fire Service Queensland advises that fires may be unpredictable, uncontrollable and fast-moving.

Severe Fire Danger is forecast for the following forecast districts:
Central Highlands and Coalfields, Central West, Channel Country, Maranoa and Warrego and Wide Bay and Burnett
The Rural Fire Service Queensland advises that fires may be unpredictable, uncontrollable and fast-moving.

The Rural Fire Service Queensland advises you to:

Check your bushfire survival plan - Now.
Monitor the fire and weather situation in any way you can through www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au and www.bom.gov.au, television or radio.
Call Triple Zero if you see a fire.

The Rural Fire Service Queensland advises that if you are in an area of Extreme Fire Danger:

Leaving is the only option for your survival.
If you plan to leave finalise your options and leave early on the day.
A well prepared and well constructed home may not be safe.

The Rural Fire Service Queensland advises that if you are in an area of Severe Fire Danger:

Leaving is the safest option for your survival.
If you plan to leave finalise your options and leave early on the day.
Only stay if your home is well prepared and well constructed and you can actively defend it.
Prepare for the emotional, mental and physical impact of defending your property - if in doubt, leave early.

For information on Fire Bans and how to Prepare. Act. Survive. Visit the Rural Fire Service web page at www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au or call the hotline on 1800 020 440.

Total Fire Bans | Fire Danger Rating Maps

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EWN Significant Weather Threat Map

EWN Significant Weather Threat Map

Hi everyone,

Some of you may have spotted this already - the new EWN Significant Weather Threat Map for Australia.

This is produced each morning and highlights threats for the next 24 hours (even if those areas have no warnings). Threats highlighted include:
- heavy rain
- thunderstorms
- tropical cyclones and other strong low pressure systems likely to cause heavy rain, severe winds or dangerous surf
- areas of well above average heat
- areas of well below average cold
- severe, extreme and catastrophic fire dangers
- snow, frost and ice
- significant areas of raised dust

You can view this on our homepage or our facebook pages.

It is also delivered by email if you subscribe to our All Alerts product.

For custom forecasts and alerting services please visit our product pages. We can supply detailed outlooks for days 2 to 7 to suit your needs. These can be for a whole state, a region or a specific location such as mining operation.

regards,
EWN Support Team.

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SCAMwatch email alert: Beware of fake charities [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Beware of fake charities

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Added: October 2013

SCAMwatch and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) are reminding people to beware of scammers pretending to represent a charity or not-for-profit organisation.

How these scams work

Fake charities operate in a number of different ways:

You may be approached on the street or in your home by people collecting money.
Some scammers may call you or email you with emails requesting donations.
Scammers may also set up fake websites which look similar to those operated by real charities.

Scammers may also play on your emotions, for example by claiming to help children who are ill.
Fake charities occur all year round but are also created directly in response to disasters, such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes and bushfires.

Protect yourself

Approach charity organisations directly to make a donation or offer support.
If you are approached out of the blue by a collector:

Ask to see their identification.
Check the ACNC register to find out whether the charity is listed. To be registered as a charity and appear on the Register, organisations must meet the legal meaning of being a charity, and other requirements of the ACNC Act.
Call the charity to verify that the person represents their organisation

Don't rely on a phone number or website address given by the person who first called, visited or emailed you because they could be impersonating a legitimate charity.
Never give out your personal, credit card or online account details unless you initiated contact and it is a trusted source.
Don't open suspicious or unsolicited emails (spam)—delete them.
Where possible, avoid any arrangement with a stranger who asks for up-front payment via money order, wire transfer or international funds transfer. It is rare to recover money sent this way.
If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.

Report

If you think you've 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.

More information

For more information on how these scams work, check out the charity scams section on SCAMwatch.

SCAMwatch has previously issued the following radars on charity scams:

View the ACNC video 'Protect yourself from charity scams'.

Stay one step ahead of scammers, follow @SCAMwatch_gov on Twitter or visit http://twitter.com/SCAMwatch_gov .

You have received this email because you have subscribed to receive SCAMwatch radar alerts on scams targeting Australians. These alerts are issued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and can be viewed on its SCAMwatch website http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/.

If you have any doubts about an email's source, verify the sender by independent means - use their official contact details to check the email is legitimate before clicking on links or opening attachments.

If you no longer want to receive SCAMwatch email alerts, please unsubscribe on the SCAMwatch website.

QLD Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Damaging Winds

QLD Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Damaging Winds

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

For people in the Southeast Coast and parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Wide Bay and Burnett, Maranoa and Warrego and Darling Downs and Granite Belt Forecast Districts.

Issued at 8:19 pm Tuesday, 1 October 2013.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Warwick, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Dalby and Kingaroy.

An 87 km/h wind gust was recorded at Oakey at 7:48pm.
A report of wind gusts in excess of 125 km/hr was received from south of Condamine.

Emergency Management Queensland advises that people should:
* Move your car under cover or away from trees.
* Secure loose outdoor items.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.

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SCAMwatch email alert: Beware of scam surveys and fake free offers [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Beware of scam surveys and fake free offers

View radar online

Added: September 2013

SCAMwatch is reminding people to beware of online scams – surveys, emails and social-media posts – offering fake gift vouchers or other bogus inducements in return for disclosing credit card and other personal information.

While many online surveys are legitimate and may be backed by some reward, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Woolworths continue to receive complaints about possible scams misusing the Woolworths name and logo, going under such titles as 'Get a free $50 Woolworths voucher' or 'Customer Satisfaction Survey'.

Scams such as these often ask people to provide credit card or other personal details, which criminals can use to commit identity theft and other fraud.

Woolworths is advising people that all its official competitions are listed at www.woolworths.com.au on its Promotions and Competitions page.

How these scams work

These scams abuse the brand names and logos of well-known companies and products to make them look legitimate.
As with many legitimate offers and online posts, you might be asked to complete a survey and/ or pass on an offer to others before you can claim a voucher or other inducement or enter a competition. But the scams will take your valuable information and give you only disappointment in return – the products don't arrive or the vouchers are fakes and the retailers won't honour them.
Recent scams have related to supermarkets, coffee shops, smart phones and tablets, including offers featured on Facebook.

Example
Sharon was checking her Facebook page and found her sister had 'liked' a link to a Woolworths survey which offered a $150 voucher for a five minute survey. Sharon completed the questions and filled in personal details at the end (she was a Woolworths online customer so figured they already had her details anyway). She received the voucher in her email and went into Woolworths to do her grocery shopping only to discover at the checkout that it was a fake. When she went home she was shocked to discover unauthorised transactions on her credit card.

Protect yourself

Be very wary when, for example, filling in surveys linked from social networking sites – being asked to provide such detailed information as Medicare numbers or credit-card security codes should ring alarm bells.
You should check whenever you can whether offers are legitimate, even those passed on from people you know. If the offers are represented as coming directly from a particular retailer, check they are listed on the retailers' official websites – or call a business' official customer-service line. Don't click on links or call numbers listed in the offers – they can link to fake websites and even fake call centres.
If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your financial institution immediately.

Report

You can report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page on SCAMwatch or by calling 1300 795 995.

More information

For more information on this particular scam, check out the Woolworths Scam Alert at http://www.woolworths.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/website/woolworths/about+us/woolworths-news/scamalert .

Stay one step ahead of scammers, follow @SCAMwatch_gov on Twitter or visit http://twitter.com/SCAMwatch_gov

You have received this email because you have subscribed to receive SCAMwatch radar alerts on scams targeting Australians. These alerts are issued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and can be viewed on its SCAMwatch website http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/.

If you no longer want to receive SCAMwatch email alerts, please unsubscribe on the SCAMwatch website.

QLD Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Large Hail, Heavy Rain, Damaging Winds

QLD Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Large Hail, Heavy Rain, Damaging Winds

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

For people in the Darling Downs and Granite Belt, Southeast Coast and parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Wide Bay and Burnett and Maranoa and Warrego Forecast Districts.

Issued at 7:19 pm Monday, 16 September 2013.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and large hailstones in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Warwick, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Dalby, Maroochydore, Gympie, Kingaroy, Stanthorpe and Goondiwindi.

Wind gusts to 80 km/hr were observed at Dalby at 6:40pm.

Emergency Management Queensland advises that people should:
* Move your car under cover or away from trees.
* Secure loose outdoor items.
* Avoid driving, walking or riding through flood waters.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.

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EWN Facebook and Twitter Alerts

EWN Facebook and Twitter Alerts

Hi Everyone,

Along with our regular email, SMS and app alerts, we have Facebook and Twitter alerts - with a separate page for each state.

In recent times Facebook has restricted the number of views a status update receives, which is a shame as many alerts get missed. There is a way around this, when you like our Facebook page(s), hover your mouse over the Liked button then tick "receive notifications". You can't do this from the Facebook app - it needs to be done via their webpage.

To like any one or all of our Facebook pages, or to receive our alerts as Tweets, have a look at these pages:

EWN Facebook Alerts

EWN Twitter Alerts

regards,
EWN Support Team.

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Google Alert - "Queensland Scam"

News

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Scam syndicates obtain profiles from surveys and use them to ...
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Queensland's top fraud investigator has described such surveys as "sucker ... The Australian Crime Commission has found examples where scam syndicates have ...

Tip: Use a minus sign (-) in front of terms in your query that you want to exclude. Learn more.

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QLD Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Large Hail, Damaging Winds

QLD Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Large Hail, Damaging Winds

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

For people in parts of the
Wide Bay and Burnett,
Darling Downs and Granite Belt and
Southeast Coast Forecast Districts.

Issued at 3:30 pm Wednesday, 14 August 2013.

Severe thunderstorms may produce damaging winds and large hailstones in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Warwick, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Coolangatta, Ipswich, Stanthorpe, Boonah, Beenleigh, Oakey, Clifton, Pittsworth and Jondaryan.

Emergency Management Queensland advises that people should:
* Move your car under cover or away from trees.
* Secure loose outdoor items.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.

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SCAMwatch email alert: This end of financial year, look out for tax refund phishing scams [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

This end of financial year, look out for tax refund phishing scams

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Added: August 2013

SCAMwatch and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) are urging consumers and small businesses to be aware of tax refund email scams, with scammers taking advantage of the busy nature of tax time to target you.

A new phishing email claiming to be from the ATO is currently circulating that claims you are entitled to a tax refund. All you have to do is click on an embedded link and complete an online form. But watch out – the online form and link are fake, and are designed to steal your personal information or infect your computer with malware.

Scams are increasingly sophisticated these days, with scammers creating slick websites and forms that look like the real deal. These sites may in fact be mirror images of the ATO's official site, with scam forms designed to be quick and easy to fill out. You may even find a web button that appears to link to your bank or financial institution, when in fact it will send you to another scam site asking for your log-in details or personal information.

You might be busy at tax time, but don't lower your guard to scams. The ATO will never email asking you to confirm, update or disclose confidential details like your tax file number, passwords or credit card details.

How these scams work

You receive an email out of the blue from someone claiming to be from the ATO, informing you that you are entitled to a refund.
The email may appear to come from an official part of the ATO such as the 'Tax Refund Department', Tax Refund E-Portal, or Australian Taxation Office Online eTax.
The email may also appear to be from an official ATO email address such as 'payroll.invoices @adp com', 'Taxrefund @portalservice .au', or 'refundsato.gov.au'.
In order to claim your refund, the email instructs you to confirm, update or disclose personal details by completing an online form.
To access the form, you must open an embedded link or an attachment.
If you open the link or attachment, your computer may be infected with malicious software.

If you fill in the form, you are handing over your personal details to a scammer, who may then use it to steal your identity and money.

Protect yourself

If you receive an email from out of the blue from someone claiming that you are entitled to a refund – just press 'delete'.
If you're not sure whether an email is a scam, verify who they are by using their official contact details to call them directly. Never use contact details provided by the sender – find them through an independent source such as a phone book or online search.
Watch out for tell-tale signs – whilst the sender may claim to be from an official source, their email may contain spelling mistakes or use poor grammar.
Never click on links or open attachments in an email from an unverified sender – they may contain a malicious virus.
Keep your computer secure – always update your firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and only buy from a verified source.
If you think you have provided your tax file number to a scammer, contact the ATO immediately.

If you want to update your tax details online, visit the ATO's official website: www.ato.gov.au.

Report

If you think you have received a scam claiming to be from the ATO or about tax, report it to the ATO by emailing ReportEmailFraud@ato.gov.au, or call 13 28 61 (individuals) or 13 28 66 (businesses).

You can report scams to the ACCC via the SCAMwatch report a scam page or by calling 1300 795 995.