This is an updated version of an article that was originally published on 3 November 2022.
With the recent data breaches and cyber-attacks happening across Australia, it is important to know how to protect your identity and stay safe online.
Check out the below information and resources to stay safe online.
Protect yourself from scams and phishing emails
A scam is an unjust scheme devised to separate you from your money in a dishonest or deceitful way and give you little or nothing in return. Scams generally involve organisations or individuals operating under unregistered or fraudulent names and prey on people’s vulnerability and use lies and tricks to convince you they are genuine.
An example of a scam or phishing email is receiving fraudulent emails claiming to be from a bank, directing you to a fake website to complete a survey and also capturing your confidential banking information. Although these emails may appear genuine, they are fraudulent and should be deleted immediately.
Banks in Australia do not send emails requesting you to confirm, update or disclose your confidential banking information.
La Trobe University is aware of phishing scams where email senders are targeting students and claiming to represent the University.
Please note that official University correspondence will be sent to your La Trobe student email account through the University Email System and will come from a @latrobe.edu.au email address.
This is in line with the University’s Student Communications Policy
What you can do to stay safe online
- If you suspect an email is fake or spam, delete it without opening it.
- Keep anti-spam and anti-virus software up-to-date.
- Never give your personal details by email. Banks and other legitimate companies will never ask for your personal details in email.
- Don’t click on links in email. Use your bookmarks to visit your bank’s website, or type the address into your Web browser.
- Check your bank and credit card account statements regularly.
- If you think you may have provided financial information like credit card numbers to a phisher, contact your financial institution or credit card company immediately.
Check out our page on security alerts, SPAM and threats for more examples and tips.
Additional resources
Find out more about staying secure online with the following resources:
- Australian Cyber Security Centre
- IDCARE
- Google Scam Spotter
- ACCC ScamWatch
- Stay Smart Online
Keep up-to-date with new cyber threats and trends: - The Hacker News
- SANS Information Security News
Medibank cyber breach
If you have been impacted by the recent Medibank cyber breach, check out this article.
If you are an international student and you have chosen Medibank Private as the provider of your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), Medibank will be in touch with you if you have been impacted by the breach.
Increasing Account Security
From Thursday 1 December 2022, you will be prompted to confirm your security information every 180 days to ensure that your account security information is up to date and security notifications are not received by unintended parties.
It’s important to keep your security information up to date. This is how you can prove who you are when you sign in or complete a self-service password reset.
Visit our Cybersecurity information webpage for more information about cybersecurity at La Trobe and to report a La Trobe cybersecurity incident.