Yahoo!7 Mail & Messenger Blog

National Consumer Fraud Week 2011

March 7th, 2011

Yahoo!7 is thrilled to be partnering with the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce to highlight the personal side and impact of scams during National Consumer Fraud Week 7-13 March.  Here are some tips to keep scammers at arm’s length:

• PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY – your personal details are private and invaluable – keep them that way and away from scammers
• DON’T RESPOND – ignore suspicious emails, letters, phone calls or text messages – press ‘delete’, throw them out or just hang up
• DON’T LET SCAMMERS PUSH YOUR BUTTONS – scammers will play on your emotions to get what they want
• RESIST THE PERSONAL TOUCH – watch out for scammers posing as someone that you know and trust, or pretending to know you.

Scammers stop at nothing to target victims, including adopting a personal touch. Increasingly scammers are finding ways to get information about your personal profile and use this to play on your relationships with people and organisations you know and trust.

The effects of scams on victims can be devastating, potentially causing psychological, financial, familial and social harm. Scams can also have a considerable impact on business, with fraudsters’ misuse of people’s trust in reputable brands or companies having the power to shake consumer confidence to the core.

Don’t let scammers into your life – make sure you protect your identity.

Check out Scams: It’s Personal for more information on National Consumer Fraud Week, an initiative of the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce.

Government Development Day

February 18th, 2011

Whilst you are enjoying a leisurely breakfast this weekend, spare a thought for the ‘Yahoos’ in Sydney who will be hard at work at 8am pitting their brains against the finest developers in NSW at a Government Development Day. This event gives web designers and developers the opportunity to turn NSW Government data into practical, easy to use applications.

Yahoo!7 understands the value of getting a range of developers together in a competitive environment so comfort zones can be challenged and amazing things can happen.  The data the participants will be accessing is provided by the government so is open and allowable.  Yahoo!7 has been working closely with government departments on many security initiatives recently (Safer Internet Day, and CyberSafety) and now it’s time to have some fun!  So many thanks to the organisers for putting this event on for technology enthusiasts such as ourselves (okay so we’re more than enthusiasts, we’re totally committed!).

Yahoo!7 has a score of engineers participating in this exciting and challenging government event.  Other Yahoos will also be on hand during the day to help developers, assist in proceedings and speak about the YQL platform, a platform which is speeding up the process of building great applications, such as apps for Mail.

Yahoo!7 will be doing our best to compete and we’re especially keen as not only will we be assisting external developers to more easily access appropriate government data but it’s an opportunity for our own beloved engineers to showcase their skills, hone their creativity and celebrate their involvement as cutting-edge developers.  Wish us well!

Safer Internet Day – 8 Feb 2011

February 8th, 2011

Being online is more than a game, it’s your life!

Yahoo!7 and Insafe have joined forces on Safer Internet Day to highlight ways to stay safe online when gaming or using social networking – have a look:

• Think before you post. How you represent yourself online — the way you play games, the photos and texts you share, the design of your avatar, and what you have on your profile – all add up to who you are. Invest in your online image.
• Be a good sport. Virtual games can be fun, but remember to treat other players with respect. If you wouldn’t do it on the field, don’t do it online either.
• Take action and report bullying. If you stand by and watch, laugh, or do nothing when you see bullying happen, you become part of the problem. Take the opportunity to create positive change.
• Spread smiles with your phone. Texting is core to staying connected with your friends. What you text is a reflection of you, so be thoughtful about what you say so you can be confident that your texts portray you the right way.

Did you know that Yahoo!7 works collaboratively with industry peers, child safety groups, government and law enforcement to find new ways to protect children online? Yahoo!7 is a very proud partner to the Cooperative Research Centre for Young People, Technology and Wellbeing led by the Inspire Foundation. Yahoo!7 also supports the work of several non-profit Internet safety organisations including the Safer Internet Group, Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Bravehearts, Common Sense Media, Family Online Safety Institute, Internet Keep Safe Coalition, and the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as efforts from governmental groups such as the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

“Online safety has long been a priority for Yahoo!7 and we are proud to celebrate Safer Internet Day with our Yahoo!7 Safely site in Australia,” said Samantha Yorke, Legal Director for Yahoo!7.   “With Yahoo!7 Safely, we are giving children, teens, and parents the tools they need to make smart digital decisions and to deal with the important online issues they face every day. It’s important that we take a proactive approach and work together as a global community to help foster a safer online experience for all children.”