‘Focus on other issues': Sam Groth's relationship under scrutiny
'The Victorian Liberals surely can be focusing on the state of Victoria right now,' Ms Power told Sky News host Rita Panahi.
'Victoria has enough problems with its debt, the crime is out of control.
'Liberal colleagues are raising concerns and freaking out about what this could do for a potential election win, well, maybe they can focus on some of the issues in Victoria.
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The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Disgusting act': how scammers are now preying on the vulnerable
Online scammers have sunk to a new low, targeting bereaved loved ones around the country to make a quick buck at their expense. The funeral notices of recently departed Australians are being reproduced across social media with fraudulent links, asking loved ones to pay to livestream the service, but it's all a phishing scam. It comes as new report from Trend Micro found one in four surveyed had fallen victim to an online scam while two-thirds had been targeted by scammers. "It's a disgusting low act," said Paul Brooks of Burke and Douglas Funerals. Read more from The Senior: The Tamworth funeral home has been targeted by cyber criminals on several occasions over the past 18 months, though the true financial damage is unknown. Mr Brooks said there isn't much they can do except warn people that Australian funeral homes will never charge viewers to watch a livestream link. "As soon as we reported it or messaged them [the scam poster], it immediately changed to another funeral home down on the Victorian border," he said. "People don't care how they scam people out of money. Look, who knows, it might not even be someone in Australia." In 2024 reported losses to scammers equated to $2.03billion with 494,732 scam reports made that year, as revealed in data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange. During that year, the data showed 10,355 suspected Facebook scam URLs to Meta (parent of Facebook and Instagram) for further investigation. A spokesperson from the National Anti-Scam Centre (an arm of the ACCC) told The Senior they have received reports of the funeral scams, which are similar involving fake livestream links to sporting events. "These are phishing scams and the methodology is the same in both scenarios," they said. "Entering credit card details results in attempted charges being made against the card, though the site may inform the user that the credit card details were invalid or failed. "Some scam streaming sites push you to subscribe with your credit card but don't deliver the content and/or fail to cancel your subscription when asked." Both Mr Brooks and the ACCC advised people to contact the funeral home directly for a live streaming link and research the organisation or person you're dealing with before giving and money or personal information. "It's a really sad time for people and it's loaded up with emotion ... and all of a sudden they're [the family are] then stressing about all their loved ones and friends who potentially could be scammed. It's not what they need," Mr Brooks said. "Ultimately, you'll never be charged to to watch a live stream for a funeral," Mr Brooks said. If you see a scam, or are the victim of foul play, you are encouraged to report it to authorities via: Online scammers have sunk to a new low, targeting bereaved loved ones around the country to make a quick buck at their expense. The funeral notices of recently departed Australians are being reproduced across social media with fraudulent links, asking loved ones to pay to livestream the service, but it's all a phishing scam. It comes as new report from Trend Micro found one in four surveyed had fallen victim to an online scam while two-thirds had been targeted by scammers. "It's a disgusting low act," said Paul Brooks of Burke and Douglas Funerals. Read more from The Senior: The Tamworth funeral home has been targeted by cyber criminals on several occasions over the past 18 months, though the true financial damage is unknown. Mr Brooks said there isn't much they can do except warn people that Australian funeral homes will never charge viewers to watch a livestream link. "As soon as we reported it or messaged them [the scam poster], it immediately changed to another funeral home down on the Victorian border," he said. "People don't care how they scam people out of money. Look, who knows, it might not even be someone in Australia." In 2024 reported losses to scammers equated to $2.03billion with 494,732 scam reports made that year, as revealed in data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange. During that year, the data showed 10,355 suspected Facebook scam URLs to Meta (parent of Facebook and Instagram) for further investigation. A spokesperson from the National Anti-Scam Centre (an arm of the ACCC) told The Senior they have received reports of the funeral scams, which are similar involving fake livestream links to sporting events. "These are phishing scams and the methodology is the same in both scenarios," they said. "Entering credit card details results in attempted charges being made against the card, though the site may inform the user that the credit card details were invalid or failed. "Some scam streaming sites push you to subscribe with your credit card but don't deliver the content and/or fail to cancel your subscription when asked." Both Mr Brooks and the ACCC advised people to contact the funeral home directly for a live streaming link and research the organisation or person you're dealing with before giving and money or personal information. "It's a really sad time for people and it's loaded up with emotion ... and all of a sudden they're [the family are] then stressing about all their loved ones and friends who potentially could be scammed. It's not what they need," Mr Brooks said. "Ultimately, you'll never be charged to to watch a live stream for a funeral," Mr Brooks said. If you see a scam, or are the victim of foul play, you are encouraged to report it to authorities via: Online scammers have sunk to a new low, targeting bereaved loved ones around the country to make a quick buck at their expense. The funeral notices of recently departed Australians are being reproduced across social media with fraudulent links, asking loved ones to pay to livestream the service, but it's all a phishing scam. It comes as new report from Trend Micro found one in four surveyed had fallen victim to an online scam while two-thirds had been targeted by scammers. "It's a disgusting low act," said Paul Brooks of Burke and Douglas Funerals. Read more from The Senior: The Tamworth funeral home has been targeted by cyber criminals on several occasions over the past 18 months, though the true financial damage is unknown. Mr Brooks said there isn't much they can do except warn people that Australian funeral homes will never charge viewers to watch a livestream link. "As soon as we reported it or messaged them [the scam poster], it immediately changed to another funeral home down on the Victorian border," he said. "People don't care how they scam people out of money. Look, who knows, it might not even be someone in Australia." In 2024 reported losses to scammers equated to $2.03billion with 494,732 scam reports made that year, as revealed in data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange. During that year, the data showed 10,355 suspected Facebook scam URLs to Meta (parent of Facebook and Instagram) for further investigation. A spokesperson from the National Anti-Scam Centre (an arm of the ACCC) told The Senior they have received reports of the funeral scams, which are similar involving fake livestream links to sporting events. "These are phishing scams and the methodology is the same in both scenarios," they said. "Entering credit card details results in attempted charges being made against the card, though the site may inform the user that the credit card details were invalid or failed. "Some scam streaming sites push you to subscribe with your credit card but don't deliver the content and/or fail to cancel your subscription when asked." Both Mr Brooks and the ACCC advised people to contact the funeral home directly for a live streaming link and research the organisation or person you're dealing with before giving and money or personal information. "It's a really sad time for people and it's loaded up with emotion ... and all of a sudden they're [the family are] then stressing about all their loved ones and friends who potentially could be scammed. It's not what they need," Mr Brooks said. "Ultimately, you'll never be charged to to watch a live stream for a funeral," Mr Brooks said. If you see a scam, or are the victim of foul play, you are encouraged to report it to authorities via: Online scammers have sunk to a new low, targeting bereaved loved ones around the country to make a quick buck at their expense. The funeral notices of recently departed Australians are being reproduced across social media with fraudulent links, asking loved ones to pay to livestream the service, but it's all a phishing scam. It comes as new report from Trend Micro found one in four surveyed had fallen victim to an online scam while two-thirds had been targeted by scammers. "It's a disgusting low act," said Paul Brooks of Burke and Douglas Funerals. Read more from The Senior: The Tamworth funeral home has been targeted by cyber criminals on several occasions over the past 18 months, though the true financial damage is unknown. Mr Brooks said there isn't much they can do except warn people that Australian funeral homes will never charge viewers to watch a livestream link. "As soon as we reported it or messaged them [the scam poster], it immediately changed to another funeral home down on the Victorian border," he said. "People don't care how they scam people out of money. Look, who knows, it might not even be someone in Australia." In 2024 reported losses to scammers equated to $2.03billion with 494,732 scam reports made that year, as revealed in data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange. During that year, the data showed 10,355 suspected Facebook scam URLs to Meta (parent of Facebook and Instagram) for further investigation. A spokesperson from the National Anti-Scam Centre (an arm of the ACCC) told The Senior they have received reports of the funeral scams, which are similar involving fake livestream links to sporting events. "These are phishing scams and the methodology is the same in both scenarios," they said. "Entering credit card details results in attempted charges being made against the card, though the site may inform the user that the credit card details were invalid or failed. "Some scam streaming sites push you to subscribe with your credit card but don't deliver the content and/or fail to cancel your subscription when asked." Both Mr Brooks and the ACCC advised people to contact the funeral home directly for a live streaming link and research the organisation or person you're dealing with before giving and money or personal information. "It's a really sad time for people and it's loaded up with emotion ... and all of a sudden they're [the family are] then stressing about all their loved ones and friends who potentially could be scammed. It's not what they need," Mr Brooks said. "Ultimately, you'll never be charged to to watch a live stream for a funeral," Mr Brooks said. If you see a scam, or are the victim of foul play, you are encouraged to report it to authorities via:
Sky News AU
7 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Working from home hinders unique in-person collaboration, despite the 'fun' of zany zoom backgrounds and muted mics
The critics of Jacinta Allan's monstrous idea that there should be a right to work two days a week from home are getting distracted. They're attacking it on economic modelling or legal principles. Correct, but wrong. The true reason this idea should be fought with the intensity of 300 Spartans is because working from home is, and always has been, awful. I thought Australians agreed to leave everything we did in Covid behind in a group-enforced amnesia, but somehow 'working from home' has endured. We live in an age where we are both obsessed with maintaining a work/life balance, and also finding new ways to bring our work into the areas we devote to life. I'm not blind to the benefits. I am writing this article from home, outside my office hours. I'm currently wearing gym shorts and a winter coat for some reason, and whenever I want to procrastinate I can flick my television back over to Fox Footy. When I was working from home during Covid, I managed to both perform my work duties and lead Wycombe Wanderers to Premier League glory in the 2036 season while playing the 'Football Manager' video game. But today I can also acknowledge that if I were in the Sky News offices writing this article, I would be done by now. And the reason for that is simple - I am a human being, a social animal. Thousands of years of genetics has made me both crave and thrive within social settings - for example, a building containing people I know and share common ground with may be able to help me with information I need, and give me a chance to demonstrate value by sharing information with them. Coworkers, we might call them. An active environment makes me active. Instead I am in my living room not having said a word for hours, only reminded that an outside world exists every time my phone pings. But of course, this is where working from home advocates will refer to their substitution for person-to-person contact: the Zoom call. Yes, this game changing invention that finally answered the question we all had - how can I have all of my coworkers in my house at the same time? Now the person that you may delay going to the staff kitchen to avoid seeing is in your guest bedroom, and he's not impressed by your furniture. My wife's coworkers spend an hour a day in a room that, when friends come over, we don't include in the house tour. But Zoom calls are fun. Sometimes someone forgets to turn their microphone on - hilarious! - and sometimes someone comes in with a zany background - interesting! - but these classic moments don't come close to group conversations and the relationships forged by in-person connections. And those relationships are key, especially for young workers looking to establish themselves. What is better for someone starting out their professional journey - the coffee break in your kitchen, or the coffee break at the cafe with seasoned coworkers who can let the new person know how things 'really work' around the office? What about the first Friday night drink - in front of a television at home or in front of higher ups at the office giving you a chance to form a good reputation in front of them? Forget young workers. Which of those sound more meaningful for workers at any stage of their career? When we're all just an icon on Slack or Teams, it's hard to form any actual connections. The working from home revolution is often seen as workers reclaiming rights over their conditions from greedy corporate bosses, who would rather whip them into soulless concrete mausoleums so they can more effectively rule over them with an iron fist. But those same mausoleums help workers too. We aren't supposed to live in self-imposed silos, connecting with each other through pings and whoops and buzzes. We're supposed to talk, connect, share and impart face to face - it's literally what our genetics push us to do. That's why Jacinta Allan's idea must fail. Yes it's bad for the economy, yes it's legally unsound. But deeper than that is our society is running towards this concept of working that makes living less meaningful - just like how delivery apps are making nights out obsolete, or what dating apps are doing to spontaneous conversation. Technology's ability to provide immediate convenience is lulling people into thinking that it's a preferable lifestyle. Our phones, laptops and televisions are Soma pills the government didn't even need to manufacture. At the risk of accidentally plagarising the Unabomber's manifesto, we're letting technology drive us away from our natural state. So log off of Zoom, turn off Netflix and get back to the office and talk to someone. James Bolt is a contributor
Sky News AU
7 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘The truth eventually wins': Giggle for Girls CEO Sall Grover determined to continue fighting for women amid long legal battle
Giggle for Girls CEO Sall Grover has opened up about her 'exhausting' court appeal, and said she will continue fighting for the rights of women. Ms Grover is challenging a judgement which found she discriminated against transgender woman Roxanne Tickle after banning her from a women-only app. The court heard final submissions in the appeal on Wednesday, with an outcome likely to be passed down in the coming months. Speaking exclusively with Sky News host Danica De Giorgio on Friday, Ms Grover shared the toll fighting the judgment has had. 'I am exhausted, I'm angry, but I'm optimistic,' she said. 'The truth eventually wins.' Both parties had appealed the initial judgment, with Ms Tickle seeking an additional $40k in damages - up from her previously awarded $10k. Ms Tickle's legal team argued Ms Grover should pay the additional damages since the CEO misgendered her in up to 50 interviews, and laughed while responding to a question during cross-examinations. 'It's not an insult to call someone a man, nor am I saying it with any intent to cause harm or to be insulting, it just an objective, observable fact about reality,' Ms Grover said. 'If you're living in a free society, a man can call himself a woman, he can think he's a woman, that's fine. What he can't do in a free society is force me to believe it.' During the appeal this week, barrister for Equality Australia Ruth Higgins SC claimed, 'sex is a way of classifying people along a scale between a man at one end and a woman at the other.' 'But as a matter of ordinary meaning, the statute is agnostic as to where persons are plotted along that scale.' Ms Grover slammed Ms Higgins' statement, and said it removes the purpose of the Sex Discrimination Act. 'What is the point of a sex discrimination act if it's saying there is no difference between a man and a woman, or you could just be anywhere along this invisible line?' she asked. Since Ms Grover lodged the appeal in October, 2024, she has gained the support of thousands of Australians. 'I've just raised over $1 million in crowd funding from regular people who have helped pay for the case, because they want female only spaces, they want the freedom to be able to acknowledge reality,' she said. 'People do care about this.'
