Author Archives: Ernie Brigham

Find A Probus Club

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FIND YOUR LOCAL PROBUS CLUB

Probus provides an exciting opportunity to meet retirees in your local community. If you are retired or semi – retired, you can join a Probus Club and hear interesting speakers, attend monthly meetings and enjoy a wide range of activities such as walking, theatre, coffee groups, lunches and day outings.

As a Probus member you will also have access to a range of exclusive member benefits.

So what are you waiting for, use the Club Locator below to find your local Probus Club and join 110,000 retirees across Australia and New Zealand.

Club Locator

Type in a suburb, postcode and select a State (AUS) or Region (NZ) to find your nearest club

Australian Seniors News

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Link below

https://australianseniorsnews.com.au/

Welcome to Australian Seniors News

Your Australian Seniors News team are dedicated to bringing you stories from all of Australia’s leading Seniors organisations, along with news, current affairs and lifestyle features that are of interest to the growing Seniors community across the country. As your nationwide Seniors news service, we pride ourselves on bringing you stories that are relevant to issues that affect you on a daily basis – at a local and national level. Whether it’s news and current affairs, sport or politics that interests you, or you’re looking for retiree financial advice or for the latest developments in the retirement living sector, it’s all at your fingertips at australianseniorsnews.com.au And the Australian Seniors News team is always happy to hear from you – please drop us a line at newsdesk@australianseniorsnews.com.au with any feedback, news tips or comments you’d like to share with us. Please subscribe and enjoy!

 

Scams Awareness 2018

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Fake tradies recently scammed a Beaumaris pensioner out of $30,000.

These dodgy tradies (also known as travelling con men) offer to do maintenance work then disappear leaving unfinished or substandard work. They target vulnerable Victorians, people from CALD backgrounds, or older people who may live alone.

We’re asking for your help in spreading awareness of fake tradies through your channels. Below is a suggested copy and an accompanying image that you can share with your audience.

We appreciate your help in getting the word out to the public.

Thank you
Sandra

Suggested copy

As the weather warms up, fake tradies will be knocking on doors and dropping leaflets, offering home improvement services.

What sounds too good to be true, often is. These dodgy operators tend to vanish after completing little work, leaving behind a consumer who has already handed over a sizeable cash deposit.

One unsuspecting pensioner was recently scammed out of $30,000 after fake tradies lied to him about receiving a fine.

Visit Consumer Affairs Victoria’s website for tips on fake tradies tactics: consumer.vic.gov.au/faketradies

Sandra Youkhana
Public Relations and Digital Advisor

Education & Online Services | Consumer Affairs Victoria
Department of Justice and Regulation

Level 19, 121 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
T. 03 8684 8130 M. 0431 466 051 E. sandra.youkhana@justice.vic.gov.au

We acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal owners of country throughout Victoria
and pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders, past, present and future.

Fake tradies recently scammed a Beaumaris pensioner out of $30,000.

These dodgy tradies (also known as travelling con men) offer to do maintenance work then disappear leaving unfinished or substandard work. They target vulnerable Victorians, people from CALD backgrounds, or older people who may live alone.

We’re asking for your help in spreading awareness of fake tradies through your channels. Below is a suggested copy and an accompanying image that you can share with your audience.

We appreciate your help in getting the word out to the public.

Thank you
Sandra

Suggested copy

As the weather warms up, fake tradies will be knocking on doors and dropping leaflets, offering home improvement services.

What sounds too good to be true, often is. These dodgy operators tend to vanish after completing little work, leaving behind a consumer who has already handed over a sizeable cash deposit.

One unsuspecting pensioner was recently scammed out of $30,000 after fake tradies lied to him about receiving a fine.

Visit Consumer Affairs Victoria’s website for tips on fake tradies tactics: consumer.vic.gov.au/faketradies

Sandra Youkhana
Public Relations and Digital Advisor

Education & Online Services | Consumer Affairs Victoria
Department of Justice and Regulation

Level 19, 121 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
T. 03 8684 8130 M. 0431 466 051 E. sandra.youkhana@justice.vic.gov.au

We acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal owners of country throughout Victoria
and pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders, past, present and future.

 Fake tradies recently scammed a Beaumaris pensioner out of $30,000.

These dodgy tradies (also known as travelling con men) offer to do maintenance work then disappear leaving unfinished or substandard work. They target vulnerable Victorians, people from CALD backgrounds, or older people who may live alone.

We’re asking for your help in spreading awareness of fake tradies through your channels. Below is a suggested copy and an accompanying image that you can share with your audience.

We appreciate your help in getting the word out to the public.

Thank you
Sandra

Suggested copy

As the weather warms up, fake tradies will be knocking on doors and dropping leaflets, offering home improvement services.

What sounds too good to be true, often is. These dodgy operators tend to vanish after completing little work, leaving behind a consumer who has already handed over a sizeable cash deposit.

One unsuspecting pensioner was recently scammed out of $30,000 after fake tradies lied to him about receiving a fine.

Visit Consumer Affairs Victoria’s website for tips on fake tradies tactics: consumer.vic.gov.au/faketradies

Sandra Youkhana
Public Relations and Digital Advisor

Education & Online Services | Consumer Affairs Victoria
Department of Justice and Regulation

Level 19, 121 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
T. 03 8684 8130 M. 0431 466 051 E. sandra.youkhana@justice.vic.gov.au

We acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal owners of country throughout Victoria
and pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders, past, present and future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Website Reigistration

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PAV Member Clubs 

Website Registration procedure for club secretaries

To access directories for Guest Speakers and Club Outings, you must register your club by mouse clicking this link http://www.probusvic.com.au/login.html?view=registration and your Club will then be registered by the PAV secretary and have directory access. 

Then mouse click directories in menu above.

Registration will ask for your Club and secretary name, and your Probus club number issued by PSPL.

Choice of Password. We are advised by our webmaster for the club secretary to create and type in a password of minimum 8 digits comprising letters and numbers or symbols. This is to prevent website hacking which has become prevalent.

Finally, confirm the password, and confirm club email address. Then click ‘Register’.

– once they activate their email address, the PAV Secretary is then sent an email to authorise the account and you should then be able to access the directories or member only pages that may be created in the future.

IMPORTANT

Club secretaries be sure to record your club’s password in your club’s minutes and securely record for future secretaries.

       

Beware of Scams

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**** BEWARE OF SCAMS ****

 

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A VICTIM OF A SCAM?

 

It is sometimes said that Seniors are easy targets for perpetrators of scams!

 

To avoid getting caught by a scam and be forewarned

go to 

http://www.accc.gov.au/publications/the-little-black-book-of-scams

and do your homework today!

 

Latest Scamwatch Tips

Beware of scammers impersonating energy and telecommunications companies

The ACCC is warning consumers to beware of scammers impersonating energy and telecommunications providers and demanding payments.

Scamwatch has received 5000 reports of fake billing scams in the last 12 months, with reported losses of close to $8000.

“The scammers typically impersonate well known companies such as Origin, AGL, Telstra and Optus via email, to fool people into assuming the bills are real,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

“They send bulk emails or letters which include a logo and design features closely copied from the genuine provider. The bill states the account is overdue and if not paid immediately the customer will incur late charges or be disconnected.”

“Alternatively, the bill may claim that the customer has overpaid and is owed a refund or it may simply say the bill is due and ready to pay,” Ms Rickard said.

New South Wales residents reported the highest number of incidents of the fake billing scam, with 1779 households reporting being victims, compared to 1275 in Queensland and 1245 in Victoria, 485 in Western Australia, 462 in South Australia, 132 in the ACT, 117 in Tasmania and 38 in the Northern Territory.

“Older Australians should particularly be wary of emails pretending to be from utility companies, with people over 65 reporting the most fake utility billing scam incidents,” Ms Rickard said.

“I advise consumers to contact their communications or energy provider directly via the company’s official channels to verify that the email or letter is actually from them.”

“Customers should never use the contact details provided on the suspicious email or letter but instead use an independent source to locate contact details such as a past bill or the phone book.”

In one case reported to the ACCC, a customer received a fake Telstra bill in the mail. The bill stated the customer’s account was overdue and immediate payment was needed. The customer dialled the phone number provided and was asked for his date of birth and driver’s licence number to confirm his identity.

“If customers are duped into phoning scammers they will then attempt to steal as much personal information as they can,” Ms Rickard said.

Other tips on how consumers can protect themselves:

  • If you receive a bill outside of your normal billing cycle, or don’t expect to receive an overdue notice, call your provider to check whether it is legitimate.
  • If you are not a customer of the company simply delete the email.
  • Never click on links or open attachments in an email from an unverified sender – they may contain a malicious virus.
  • Never send money or give credit card details, online account details or personal information to anyone you don’t know or trust and never by email or over the phone.
  • Keep your computer secure – always update your firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and only buy from a verified source.
 

 To stay one step ahead of scammers, learn more by visiting the ACCC’s Scamwatch website


Protect yourself—sign up to Scamwatch

www.scamwatch.gov.au

—where you can sign up for free email alerts on new scams targeting consumers and small businesses. You can also follow Scamwatch on Twitter at @scamwatch_gov or http://twitter.com/scamwatch_gov.

 

Creating a Club Website

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How About Creating A Website For Your Probus Club

and thereby create a greater awareness of Probus in your local community

Whilst many Probians – especially those who are in the 70+ age bracket – still endeavour to maintain a degree of denial about the value of using the internet, younger Probians – and especially those that have more recently retired – are very much into making use of the internet as their principle communications medium and information source.

No longer do we need to rush to the encyclopaedia as our prime information source, and often a telephone call – especially to government institutions – involves a lengthy wait for someone to answer. Then one is sometimes told that the information that one requires can only be obtained ‘on line’. Your time has been seriously wasted! The internet can be your best source!

Whether we like it or not, we are being forced to recognise the value and necessity of learning how to use a mobile phone, tablet, or computer. Otherwise we even run the risk of being ignored by our grandchildren who have started to use these devices when even barely out of the cradle!

As administrator of your Association’s website, I am asked by your PAV executive and your sponsors to post information on your website including sporting information, Probus events, travel and tour details, and administrative information. Yet I am very much aware that there are still many club officials that rarely – and sometimes never – view our website, and then wonder why they miss important news and information.

Club officials especially need to know how to use the internet NOW, or be left behind!

I also  receive questions at the quarterly delegate meetings from club delegates, as well as phone calls, about information on the website which sometimes show that a delegate is obviously unfamiliar with using our website. In fact, because of enquiries received, there are many organisations, businesses and individuals outside of Probus who take more interest in our Association website than do our Probus members.

What could your club include on its website?

Where and when you meet

What your activities are, such as outings, sports and social activities

Your club’s tours and trips

A contact person to enquire about membership

Some clubs with websites even post their monthly news bulletin on their website which can be read by the world at large

Some photos of recent activities can tell the viewer a lot about your membership and whether they appear ‘user friendly’!

As you can see, the information can be quite basic, but the more interesting the content, the more likely you are to attract new members.

There are unfortunately clubs that are facing a decline in membership, so a club website could be your best advertisement. If you are hoping that younger seniors might join your club, then remember that these are people who are already familiar with internet use, and their internet searches could lead them to your club.

How do you go about creating a club website? Where do you start? Here are some suggestions for your club committee to consider:

Start by forming a website sub-committee with a minimum of three. One to actually administer your website; one who is a deputy; and one who ‘knows the ropes’ in case one of the first two decides to retire from the ‘job’. All three need to be competent users of their personal computer. Maybe your club might also have its own laptop, in which case they should be familiar with that.

Decide on what information you want posted on your website. This could amount to just a single page, or extend to a number of pages. Maybe your committee should view the ‘Probus Club websites’ page on this website for ideas used by other Probus Clubs. Some have comprehensive websites whilst others are quite simple.

Your club committee then needs to consider allocating a budget, because there are domain and hosting costs, and, if employing a professional webmaster, he/she will need to be paid. There are many professionals around who would be willing to set up your website, but at your expense. They will charge a one-off cost for website design – this could be several hundred dollars, and there will be always be annual hosting fees and domain charges. You may even be fortunate enough to have a member with the relevant skills to set up your club website ‘in house’.

Another option is to approach a local secondary college to see if they have a student or students who would like to tackle creating you club website as a project – great experience for them, and a great help to your club. This could greatly minimise your costs. Maybe also a willing grandchild could provide inexpensive assistance, as computers, tablets and mobile phones, and the workings of the internet are ‘second nature’ to that age group. Recompense for any work done would be for you to negotiate. Other options to investigate are U3A, or maybe your local community house. If a club finds an inexpensive option for website construction, please advise your website administrator on webadmin@probusvic.com.au

You may also like to do your own research by typing – for example – ‘how to create an inexpensive website’ – into Google. There are a number of listings, and you may find something that suits your club’s budget and your capabilities.

For one example, check out recently advertised GoDaddy.com on the web and see if this could be an option for your club.

Finally, clubs should be aware that neither your Association nor its administrator are willing to become involved in website design. The Association employs Chris Maber of YouChoose to host this website and, while all postings are made by the current PAV website administrator, he cannot offer advice on website construction.