As you may be aware the price for Microsoft Office has increased.  If you are a home user and do not need Office 365 there are other alternatives for free.  They offer the vast majority of functions that Microsoft provide.  To be honest they provide in my opinion everything a home user usually requires.

If you already have Microsoft Office on you PC (which is usually the case as it comes pre-installed with most new machines) you can remove it or just leave it and install an alternate Office package.

LibreOffice.

This is what is called open-source software.  It is totally free.  If you have a business you can still use it for free.  I think it is one of the best alternatives to Microsoft Office 365.  It does not include an email program though.  That said there a plenty of alternatives to Classic Outlook.  LibreOffice can open and save .docx (word), .xlsx (excel), ppt (PowerPoint). You can down load Libre Office at the link below.

https://www.libreoffice.org/

OpenOffice.

Open Office like Libre Office is open source and is totally free.  It can do the same as Libre Office.  It is not as polished as Libre and is no longer being developed.  It can be downloaded at the link below.

https://www.openoffice.org/

WPS Office for Windows.

WPS is totally free.  It does have some advertising.  It supports all formats of Microsoft Office files and has 1Gb of free online cloud storage.  WPS is also available on iOS (iPhone) and Android) which means you can use the cloud storage to share your files between devices.  It can be downloaded at the link below.

https://www.wps.com/

If you do not use office much but would like to have the option there is a free online version.  This has most of the functionality that the desktop version has but you use it from the browser eg Microsoft edge, Google Chrome, etc.  So its a bit like accessing any other web site or page but is has Word,etc, displayed.  Try this at Office.com or click the link below.  Most people will already have a Microsoft account anyway.  You were pushed to create one when you setup your PC.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/free-office-online-for-the-web

If you need help with this, give me a shout.

The Amazon Email Scam.

No its not a scam from amazon but a scammer trying to look like Amazon.

The Amazon Scam Email has been around for a while in many forms. This one dropped into my mail box this week. Its something for you to watch out for. Initially it looks like an email from Amazon. Nothing new there.  Click the image above to see a larger view of the Amazon scam email.

How can you tell its an Email scam.

1. It says “Dear Customer”. I would at least expect your name.
2. If you look at the top to see where it has been sent from it says Amazon.co.uk but if you hover over it the real address is displayed.

“noreply-ah9d9nybsuhudjnxk36h@mutualentreasoc.com.ar”

.ar is the domain for Argentina.

So what are they trying to get you to do? Well panic you into thinking your account is now locked and for you to click the

⛔VERIFY ACCOUNT⛔

My Internet security picked this up immediately and blocked it. I have checked the link and as expected it takes you to a page that looks like amazon and asks you to login.

BINGO!! 👌The scammers would have your login details and password and can then order on your account. Also they will most likely try the details you gave on lots of other websites because most people use the same details on multiple sites. They may also use it to try and access your email account. If they get into your email they can use your account to scam others by pretending to be you. They can also reset passwords to other services or suppliers you use.

❌SO WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?? 🤷‍♂️

🚦Delete the email and forget about it. 👍

If you are still concerned, go to Amazon.co.uk in you browser. Open Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox, which ever browser you like to use and type in amazon.co.uk. This will take you straight to the genuine site. You can then safely login. If there is a problem with your account it will say so at this point.

If you are still worried, give me a call. I am more than happy to put your mind at rest. 😀

Spot the Fake Holiday Scams.

I think most of us are in the need of a holiday, be it at home in the UK or abroad.  Scammers know this and that we all want a bargain but do beware.  Things to look out for are:

1. Very cheap online deals. You can get some good online deals but if it looks too good, it probably is.
2. Check Logos on websites, do they look correct. You can check they are ATOL protected at ATOL Check. 
3. Watch for fake listings on booking sites like Airbnb and various holiday letting sites.  Do not be rushed to make a booking and payment by the owner.
4. Do not pay by bank transfer if you don’t know them.  Its almost impossible to get your money back from a transfer.  Use a credit or debit card.  Always paying using the websites paying system.
5. Reviews are always worth a look but there are many people who offer fake reviews.  Check on various review sites.  Don’t go by just one source.  Look at what has been written and when.  Often you will get multiple good reviews written all at the same or very similar times.
6. Beware of FREE Holiday offers.  This is often the sign of some sort of holiday ownership purchase like time share.  Any high pressure selling is a sure fire way of spotting a scam or at the very least signing up to an agreement you may not have done otherwise. 

 For more advice on booking holiday and what to look out for check out Which.co.uk

The Fake DVLA Scam

Not sure how long this email has been around but its the first time I have seen it.  The email is below.  It basically says than my car has no road tax and its the last warning I will receive from the DVLA.  I should then follow the green link and pay it.  Now viewing this on my PC it looks dodgy but if you viewed it on your phone its less obvious..

.

Things to look for:

The “from” address says GOV.UK.  But after that it says noreply0024govuk@tkmsoftware.net.  TKMsoftware ???? nothing to do with the DVLA.

Also it is not addressed to anyone. No reference to the vehicle.

I have followed the “START NOW” link (I would not advise you do this).  Firstly, I got a warning from Windows Defender to avoid this site.  I continued and I then had a warning from Kaspersky, my internet security.  I continued and was presented with screen that was a copy of the DVLA site, see below.  It asks for all my details, Name, DOB, Address and then my bank card details.  The only thing it does not ask for is any details of my car.  Not the registration, the V45 logbook details or anything to link the payment to my car

Once again if you look at the web page it has taken me to, it should be www.gov.uk.  It not, its guu.guk.temporary.site

My best advice is DO NOT FOLLOW LINKS IN EMAILS.  Even if you think it maybe genuine go to GOV.UK. Open a browser (edge, Chrome, Firefox) and open the genuine page from there.

Rather than look at what is presented to you, look for what is missing it can often be a dead give away.

STAY SAFE.

How to recognise and report a fake website or social media page

I was having the usual look through Facebook earlier this week when I came across a page that looked like a genuine BBC News report.  It was talking about Robert Peston a well known BBC reporter.  He had been on a ITN program so the report claimed and was making various claims of how to make money.  Nothing new there articles like this often appear on social media.  99% fake.

What struck me at the time was the page displayed was almost exactly like a BBC News web page. The menus, the colours, the font. Everything, so it looked like a BBC page. Only things was, none of the links to other articles worked. If you clicked, they did nothing.  “Strange” I thought.  After scrolling down the article there was one link that was active.  This took you to another page with no relation to the BBC at all.  It was a fake money trading site.  See the image below.  It gave the false impression that Robert Peston had made lots of money via this site and that the BBC and ITN had reported it as being the place to invest your money.

This got me thinking!!

How do you report a fake web site?

If you find a site you think is fake then take a moment if you can, and report it to the National Cyber Security Site, click the image below.  It only takes a few minutes and may stop someone being fooled and scammed by these sites.

Hertfordshire Police Warn Residents of an Increase in Scammers Phone Calls

Hertfordshire Police have again this week warned of an increase in phone scammers reporting to be from your Bank or the Police.  Many of these will spoof the number, this means they can make the number that appears on your phone to look like the genuine number the bank or police would use.

See the link below.  To view the police Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/hertspolice/posts/pfbid022o1nxC4XJWxX58ZB7W63qi36x9Xqn1vJBDWp7g8yuAXGFJFzRZGYr94WtWSr3VoVl

If you think you may have been the target of a phone scam call you bank on the number on the back of you debit or credit card or call 159.

You can report the call www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.  The more people who report it the more chance there is of closing them down.