The Australian Government site, ScamWatch, have released an important reminder as we head into the festive season.   Here's an excerpt: “Scammers will take advantage of special days or major events like Christmas to fleece people of their money or personal information,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.   Here are three common holiday season scams people should look out for: Online shopping scams: scammers will set up fake online stores or post goods for sale in buy‑swap-sell groups or online classified sites to trick people into buying items that don’t exist. This scam has cost Australians nearly $3 million in 2018, with more than 8,700 reports. Travel scams: scammers trick people into believing they’ve won a holiday or scored a really good deal on a travel package, like a cruise. Unfortunately the prize or the cheap accommodation are phony. In 2018, nearly $135,000 has been lost to this scam. Parcel delivery scams: scammers may ask you to print off a label, do a survey, claim a prize, or view the status of your delivery by clicking on a link or downloading an attachment. Some scammers may even call or text with claims about an unsuccessful delivery. These scams are aimed at getting people to download malware onto their computer, or give up their personal information. People have lost about $31,000 to these scams in 2018. Source: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/news/watch-out-for-holiday-season-scams ... View more

Welcome to the November edition of our Cancer Council Online Community News!   Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in or participated in our   research study interviews   with Macquarie University. From both our team here at Cancer Council and the team at Macquarie University, we were warmed by both the magnitude of interest and the different view points of everyone who participated. Your input will inform a lot of our work going forward with peer support and our Online Community. Thank you!!!   We've welcomed some more staff into the Online Community recently to provide regular ongoing content that is relevant for you. So if you see a post by   CCadvice, be sure to say hi - this is our financial assistance team here at Cancer Council.   We also celebrated our 2nd birthday earlier this month, marking two years since we migrated the site from the closed Cancer Connections community to being the   Cancer Council Online Community, opening the site up to support anyone affected by cancer with over 6,000 members. If you haven't posted in a while, we'd like to extend an invitation to you to log back in, take a look around and say hi!   Searching for info   So you're a member of the Online Community, now what?   If you're struggling to navigate the forums and blogs, why not search for something you'd like to know more about or ask a question on?   There's a search bar located at the top of every page and via the menu if you're using a mobile device.   Pancreatic Cancer   November is the designated month for raising awareness of Pancreatic Cancer, but it's something that really needs highlighting 365 days of the year.   Do you have Pancreatic Cancer or know someone with it? We've put together just some of the information and supportavailable via Cancer Council   for you.   Communication: “How do I deal with the ‘stuff’ people say?”   It seems everyone has an opinion on cancer and they aren’t afraid to share it with you. But how do you manage and respond to these comments?   Our  latest webinar  will aim to provide strategies to help you manage social relationships, particularly in the lead up to the festive season which can be a very challenging time.   When: 7-8-pm, Thursday, November 29th. Accessible via computer or mobile devices. And   by registering, you can also watch it later at a time convenient to you. P.S. it's free!   And we're trying something new out as well - we'll be   continuing the conversation   after the webinar on Thursday evening, in our forums.   Cervical Screening Program   During Cervical Cancer Awareness week in mid-November, Australians were called upon to become more aware of the new cervical screening program which replaced the pap test earlier this year.   The new screening test only needs to be undertaken every 5 years as opposed to the previous two.   Find out more   about the test and why it's so important.   Festive season budgeting   Christmas always seem to arrive so quickly and this year is no exception. It's also a time many of us will be looking at our spending and budgets as we head into December.   Our financial assistance team has put together a few helpful tips   so you can enjoy the Christmas cheer and merriment.   #OwnYourTone   Last week was Skin Cancer Action Week across Australia, and also saw the launch of a new initiative by Cancer Council - #OwnYourTone.   New research has shown the message that there’s nothing healthy about a tan is still not reaching the majority of Aussie teens, with an alarming 62% saying their friends think a tan is a good thing.   Now, and throughout summer, Cancer Council   is encouraging everyone   to #OwnYourTone and embrace your natural skin tone, protecting yourself from UV radiation.   A reminder that if you signed up when the site was known as   Cancer Connections   and have not logged in recently, you simply need to request a password reset and you should be able to access your account. We migrated the site in 2016. If you need any assistance such as figuring out what your username is or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us via email:   onlinecommunity@nswcc.org.au.   Kind Regards, Kate and the Online Community team. ... View more