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This article first appeared in The Conversation. Spam might not have brought an end to the internet or email , as some dire predictions in the early 2000s claimed it could — but it’s still a massive pain. Despite all the spam being removed by spam-filtering technologies, most people still receive spam every day. How do these messages end up flooding our inboxes? And are there any legal consequences for the senders? Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >> What is spam? The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) noted in 2004 “there does not appear to be a widely agreed and workable definition for spam” across jurisdictions — and this remains true today. That said, “spam” generally refers to unsolicited electronic messages. These are often sent in bulk and frequently advertise goods or services. It also includes scamming and phishing messages, according to the OECD. Source: https://thefoxposts.com/why-do-i-get-so-much-spam-and-un...

Customers of streaming giant Spotify are being warned to be aware of a phishing scam designed to swindle personal details and money out of unsuspecting users. Email spam protection service MailGuard discovered the sneaky tactic last week when it started blocking the scam email s bearing the subject line: “Spotify: We’re unable to bill you.” WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Queensland man wanted for bizarre ‘humming’ box cash copying scam. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >> “The sender name reads ‘Last Reminder’, but it’s actually sent from what appears to be a compromised support account belonging to a South African business,” it warned in a blog post. The email includes the Spotify logo in its header to seem more authentic and tells the recipient they need to update their payment details as the service is “unable to bill”. Email spam protection service MailGuard discovered the phishing email last week with the subject line:  “Spotify: We’re unable to bill y...

Apple customers are being targeted by cyber criminals in a new email scam claiming they could lose all of their photos and iCloud memories. The phishing email claims to be from Apple’s iCloud service, which stores photos , files and backups across all Apple devices, and states the recipient must “take action” or “your photos and videos will be deleted”. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Warning to parents over new social media app aimed at kids and teens. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >> The scam, spotted by The Mirror, features an iCloud logo and prompts the victim to update their payment details, claiming their usual method has expired. It also warns the recipient that not updating their details could lead to memories stored on their iCloud service being automatically deleted. “Without iCloud space, you may not be able to store all of your data and files in the iCloud service,” the message states. Recipients are then prompted to click a button to upda...

Internet users are being advised to immediately delete and report an email that appears to be from Google offering a prize for helping the company reach a search milestone. One version of the email , posted online, congratulates the receiver for making the “18.25 billionth search ”. It claims Google will reward every 10 millionth search and provides a set of instructions to follow — including providing personal details — to claim a prize. Watch the latest news and stream for free on 7plus >> Google has warned any emails or advertisements offering prizes are fraudulent. The company’s support page advises it does not run lotteries, sweepstakes, or similar programs. It recommends reporting any emails that suggest otherwise as spam Scam email s claiming people have won a Google prize have been sent to some people. Credit: Supplied A number of similar Google scams have been sent to Gmail and other email accounts in the past, including email s requesting payment for using servic...

Hackers have stolen the email addresses of more than 200 million Twitter users and posted them on an online hacking forum, a security researcher says. The breach “will unfortunately lead to a lot of hacking, targeted phishing and doxxing”, Alon Gal, co-founder of Israeli cybersecurity-monitoring firm Hudson Rock, wrote on LinkedIn. He called it “one of the most significant leaks I’ve seen”. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >> Twitter has not commented on the report, which Gal first posted about on social media on December 24, nor responded to inquiries about the breach since that date. It was not clear what action, if any, Twitter has taken to investigate or remediate the issue. Twitter is yet to comment on reports hackers have stolen and posted users' email addresses online. Credit: AP Reuters could not independently verify the data on the forum was authentic and came from Twitter. Screenshots of the hacker forum, where the data appeared ...