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ATO Tax Refund Scam Warning

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ATO Tax Refund Scam Warning

The Queensland Police Service Fraud and Cyber Crime Group (FCCG) has been receiving regular complaints from members of the public alleging that they have been receiving emails from the Australian Taxation Office purporting to offer a tax refund of $286.22.

The reader is asked to select a link to their Banking provider (the names of the five major banks are provided). This link will then seek to harvest identity and financial information.

Det Supt Brian Hay “As we approach the end of the financial year and tax time nears, fraudsters will seek to dupe members of the public into surrendering their identity and financial information under the guise of representing the Australian Taxation Office”, says Detective Superintendent Brian Hay.

To provide an air of legitimacy to their criminal operations the fraudsters have included an “authentic” 1300 number used by the ATO for their Publications Distribution Service.

“Any person who receives this email should delete it immediately and not click any link embedded in the email”, says Detective Superintendent Brian Hay. He says, “We can expect these types of emails to continue during the current period and it is imperative people remain alert for these types of frauds.”

Contact the Fraud and Cyber Crime Group if you wish to discuss your circumstances by phoning 07 3364 6622.

Anyone with information which could assist with this matter should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.

Crime Stoppers is a registered charity and community volunteer organisation working in partnership with the Queensland Police Service.

For all non-urgent police reporting or general police inquiries contact Policelink on 131 444 or Policelink.qld.gov.au 24hrs a day.

Dealing With Prostate Cancer And The Role Of Hope

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Dealing With Prostate Cancer And The Role Of Hope

A team of University of Southern Queensland (USQ) researchers is looking into how men with localised prostate cancer and their loved ones find hope during their ordeal. The research team includes Dr Laurie Lepherd (Centre for Health Sciences Research) and Dr Coralie Graham (School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery).

Drs. CoralieGraham and Laurie LepherdDr Lepherd said prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in men worldwide and the fifth most common cancer diagnosed overall. “While the rate of prostate cancer in the population is increasing, the mortality rate is decreasing – men will live longer and may need greater access to the development and use of their coping strategies,” Dr Lepherd said.

“While the journey with prostate cancer can be very difficult for men, it can also be difficult for their partners. Two aspects of life that can assist men and women in these difficult times are lift (the way they are able to rise above their day-to-day troubles) and hope (the quality that provides expectation of comfort for them).”

Dr Lepherd said the study was designed to answer a number of questions about how men and their families cope during their prostate cancer journey. “We want to hear the stories (by telephone) of men who have had or currently have localised prostate cancer, and partners of men in these circumstances,” he said.

“Did they find lift and hope? What lifts them above the illness? Is it a connection they have with other people? Is it a religious belief? Is it a connection with the land? Is it a sense of purpose?  We would particularly welcome potential participants from rural and remote areas of Australia,” he said.

Once completed, the (anonymous) results will be made available so other men and women in similar circumstances, carers and health professionals have a greater understanding of the way people can be given even more support.

For more information, contact Dr Lepherd via phone on 07 4687 5820 or email lepherd@usq.edu.au.
Submitted by:
Rhianwen Whitney
USQ, Toowoomba
rhianwen.whitney@usq.edu.au

 

2014 Mayoral Skateboarding Competition

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2014 Mayoral Skateboarding Competition

The call is out for the region’s top skateboarders to carve it up at the 2014 Mayoral Skateboarding Competition at Crows Nest. Join in the action and demonstrations at the Crow’s Nest skate park in Recreation Terrace on Saturday, June 14.

Hosted by Toowoomba Regional Council’s Youth Connect and Skateboarding Australia, the day includes a packed program from 10am-3pm. A best tricks competition is a highlight on the program with all contests open to skateboarders from 12 to 25. Prizes and giveaways will be on offer with a street art workshop, a barbecue and drinks available. Nominate on the day and test your skill against the region’s best.

If you’re not ready to show off your moves in a competitive arena, Youth Connect and Skateboarding Australia are teaming up to deliver SbA †Street Wise, a free learn to skate program across the region. A team works with young people of all abilities to encourage beginners to step on a board and to guide and develop the skills of more experienced riders. Skateboards and helmets are provided.

The program includes the following sessions:
June 28, 10am-noon: Oakey skate park, Rotary Park, Campbell St, Oakey
July 5, 10am-noon: Westbrook skate park, Progress Ave, Westbrook
July 19, 10am-noon: Pittsworth skate park, Yandilla St, Pittsworth
July 26, 10am-noon: Goombungee skate park, Pioneer Park, Goombungee
August 2, 10am-noon: Meringandan skate park, William St, Meringandan West
August 16, 10am-noon: Highfields Fitness & Recreation Centre, O’Brien Rd, Highfields
August 30, 10am-noon: Quinalow skate park, Pechey-Maclagan Rd, Quinalow
September 13, 10am-noon: Harlaxton skate park, Flynn St, Harlaxton, Toowoomba

To learn more about Youth Connect and the dates, times and venues for all coming activities, please visit www.toowoombaRC.qld.gov.au/youthconnect

A Warning To Protect Your Personal Information

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A Warning To Protect Your Personal Information

Friends,

Consider this… a gentle reminder to protect/care for your personal information.  Last night a resident in a retirement village was phoned by people purporting to be from ‘Telstra” and telling them there was a problem with their computer connection. Unfortunately they followed instructions and this morning found their computer to be compromised and they received some inappropriate images.

So:

  • Don’t give out your personal information to anyone either via email or over the phone if they are not someone you regularly deal with.

Consider this, if a stranger arrived at your door and asked you for the same information would you give it to them?

  • If you do get hit with some form of computer challenge like this,

o   immediately contact your internet provider and let them know

o   get your system checked by a reputable local computer company who can ‘clean’ it for you.

o   Change your passwords on every system you use

  • Be aware that you may have been unwittingly attacked, via a friends computer, so if you see something unusual, your system is running more slowly than usual or you are using way more data than normal, get it checked by an expert.

Look after yourselves and if in doubt get it checked.

To keep up with what’s happening around the district you can also subscribe to the myPolice blog. Its free and gives Police the opportunity to inform the community about a range of policing issues, good news stories and in some instances seek your assistance to solve crime.

You can find the blog at http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/darlingdowns/  Feel free to get on and have a swim around to get a feel for the information we are sharing and types of  reports that will be posted. You can subscribe to receive the posts using the tab in the right hand top corner and get the information as soon as it’s published.

There is also further information on scams/frauds and personal safety on the the Queensland Police Internet site; http://www.police.qld.gov.au/

And if in doubt there are the more traditional contact methods by phone:

Emergency                                           000

For non †urgent police attendance        131 444

Crimestoppers                                      1800 333 000

Submitted by:
Tony Rehn
Crime Prevention Officer
Darling Downs DistrictQueensland Police Service
Ph 07 4631 6755  Fax 07 4615 3200

 

 

Toowoomba’s Harristown High Students Deal With Personal Safety

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Toowoomba’s Harristown High Students Deal With Personal Safety

Members of the Toowoomba Child Protection and Investigation Unit have instigated a dual-agency project to help improve the personal safety and awareness of students at Harristown State High School. Partnering with staff from the high school, and with the assistance of the school based police officer, Senior Constable Rebekah Naumann, a 10 week program has been developed to assist students in developing strategies to deal with a variety of confrontational situations.
Harristown High Students
Whether it’s bullying, acts of violence or any other situation that threatens the safety of the students, the program participants are being taught how to identify, neutralise and safely escape from such situations.

‘The school were eager to engage with us to come up with an innovative way to educate their students in how to be confident, resilient and able to protect themselves. The Personal Safety and Self Defence Project teaches the students how to defuse situations and quickly move to a safer environment where they no longer feel threatened’, said project co-ordinator Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Hart. ‘We are teaching the students to identify potentially dangerous situations and maintain clarity and awareness as they take steps to ensure they can protect themselves and others if they need to do so. We also educate the students about the legal parameters they should be aware of if confronted with a dangerous situation, and just what they can and can’t do if they do need to defend themselves’.

The officers say they have really enjoyed working with the group of 30 students each Wednesday afternoon. Feedback from the students has also been very positive and  it seems as though everyone is enjoying the program.

Photograph and article content by Senior Sergeant Paul Hart

Litter Fighting Fund Launched By Keep Australia Beautiful

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Litter Fighting Fund Launched By Keep Australia Beautiful

Despite more than 45 years of campaigning, shocking statistics have revealed that too many people are still littering, with Australians dumping almost 48 million litres of litter each year.

In response Keep Australia Beautiful today will launch a Litter Fighting Fund where all Queenslanders can donate to directly fund litter reduction programs. National Association Chief Executive Officer Peter McLean said the organisation has never called on the community like this before, but drastic action needed to be taken.

“Litter is one of the most serious environmental issues we face and we need a stronger army to battle it,” Mr McLean said. “It’s been a long time, but the message hasn’t changed †don’t litter, put your rubbish in the bin, do the right thing. We’re calling on everyone from corporate sponsors to community members, to help keep our country clean and start taking more pride in the environment.”

Derryn HinchPatriotic journalist Derryn Hinch is lending his support to help launch the Litter Fighting Fund and has urged Australians to generously support the cause. “We are lucky to live in such a beautiful country but we need to treat it with respect,” Mr Hinch said. “I‘ve just completed a 180 kilometre Jail 2 Justice walk through regional Victoria and the rubbish I saw along the roads was an absolute disgrace. There are pigs living among us who think that it’s okay to throw rubbish out of the car, or dump trailer loads of household waste in the bush.”

Mr McLean said the Litter Fighting Fund was an account which would help to keep anti-litter programs alive across Queensland. “Every dollar donated will be used to support our initiatives including community grants, litter campaigns, litter research and environmental education such as Eco-Schools,” he said. “We are a not-for-profit organisation and our funding is very limited but we have a tremendous opportunity here. Anyone can donate, mums and dads, corporates, small businesses, those that want to see a direct reduction in litter.

“The Litter Fighting Fund gives everyone the opportunity to contribute to litter prevention right across Australia. Instead of volunteering they might want to put a few dollars into a fund that will activate holistic campaigns right across the country.”

“I love Australia now as much as I ever did, and I still don’t understand why some Australians still think littering is acceptable,” Mr Hinch said. “Come on Australia, pick up your act, pick up your litter and show your support for Keep Australia Beautiful by donating to the Litter Fighting Fund now.”

To donate visit: www.litterfightingfund.org.au.

KAB logo.ashxAbout Keep Australia Beautiful: Keep Australia Beautiful is the national peak body on litter prevention. With more than four decades of experience in engaging Australians to care for their local environments, (not to be confused with the organisation Clean Up Australia Day) KAB Programs include Sustainable Cities, Tidy Towns, Clean Beaches, National Litter Index, Eco-Schools, The LITTLE Committee, Australia’s Litter Action Plan and Keep Australia Beautiful Week in August.

All information on the organisation can be accessed at kab.org.au including the National Litter Index, which is Australia’s only independent nation-wide litter research.

Submitted by:
Chris Reid
Senior Consultant
Sequel Communications

 

 

Child Restraint Installers Course Bound For Toowoomba

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Child Restraint Installers Course Bound For Toowoomba

Kidsafe’s Type 1 Car Seat Installers Course is coming to Toowoomba!  This is a 2 day, Nationally Recognised Training Course that will provide participants with the knowledge & skills required to install all types of car restraints, give advice on the correct selection & use of restraints, as well as the laws and Australian Standards surrounding children travelling in vehicles.

At Kidsafe Qld we find up to 90% of child car seats are either installed incorrectly, or are not the right restraint for the child. Children are 5 times more likely to be seriously injured in a car crash if they are not fitted properly in the correct restraint, which is installed correctly. For these reasons we want to ensure as many people as possible have the correct information and skills to do it right! Especially those who perform these duties as part of their job.

Kidsafe has  received funding which allows the opportunity to offer scholarships to front line workers around Queensland. This includes people such as police officers, child service workers, midwives, OT’s (public), multicultural organisations, foster care organisations etc.

There are up to 12 places available for the upcoming course in Toowoomba †either paid or scholarship.

Day 1 †Type 1 Fitters Course -  Monday 30th June  9.30am †5.00pm at Chamber of Commerce
Day 2 †Type 1 Fitters Course †Tuesday 1st July  9.30am †5.00pm at Wippells Car Yard
Day 3 †Wednesday 2nd July  -  Child Injury Prevention Talk    10.00am †11.00am
-  Free Child Car Seat Checking Session    11.30am †2.30pm – Venues to be advised.

Other big news for Kidsafe  is the expanding Capsule Hire Scheme!  Qld Ambulance are getting out the of the business of baby capsule hire and installations etc and Kidsafe Qld is working closely with them, and has reached an agreement for the capsule hire service. So we are setting up remote locations all over Brisbane and Qld to be up and running with 4,000 baby capsules by July 1.

Submitted by
Bek Tidyman
Child Safety Advocate
Playground Inspector, Certified Car Seat Installer & Trainer
Kidsafe Qld
Ph 0403 433 404

 

Careers Day For Years 8 and 9 Students At USQ

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Careers Day For Years 8 and 9 Students At USQ

About 230 students from high schools around the Darling Downs will find out more about life after school at the University of Southern Queensland. Toowoomba’s Year 8-9 Careers Day is to be held on Thursday, June 12.

Students will get to try out interactive sessions from various potential career paths and study areas as well as talk to current USQ students about university life and what they can expect after graduation.

The Defence Force will also be on site to discuss potential careers.

Schools attending include:
Crow’s Nest State School
Dalby State High School
Inglewood State School
Kingaroy State High School
Oakey State High School
Pittsworth State High School
Roma State College
St George State High School
St Mary’s College
Wandoan State School
Warwick State High School

The event will be running from 9am to 2pm at USQ Toowoomba, for more information visit www.usq.edu.au/careers-day.

Submitted by:
Callum JohnsonUSQ, Toowoomba

 

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