About Heads Up!
How it started
Like a lot of people, I’m the family IT helpdesk. Every visit to my parents ends with a trip down the hall to look at the computer. Along the way I’ve seen people I love get caught out by scams. Nothing serious, but enough to make me wonder how they’d go against something more convincing.
When I mentioned this to friends, the conversation quickly turned personal. Nearly everyone had a story about a parent who’d been targeted, or a worry about one who might be. The numbers say the same. Year after year, Australians over 65 report losing more to scams than any other age group. That’s not because they’re less capable. It’s because a lifetime of work means savings and super, and scammers know it.
The warnings are out there. Banks send them, the government publishes them, and the news covers the big ones. But they’re written for everyone, so they rarely feel written for you. They’re easy to skim past and hard to find when you need them.
Then I sent an early test issue to my mother-in-law. She told me a friend of hers had just fallen for the “Hey Mum” scam, where a text arrives from someone pretending to be your child on a new number. That settled it. I’d write something more personal: one scam at a time, explained the way I’d explain it to my own family.
What you’ll get
One short email a week. Each issue covers a scam circulating in Australia right now: what it looks like, why it works, and what to do if it turns up on your phone or in your inbox. You’ll also get a tech tip, something useful about your phone or computer.
It’s free, it takes a few minutes to read, and there’s no jargon.
Subscribe for yourself
Hear about these scams before they reach you.
Share it with someone you care about
Know someone who’d find this useful? Read on below, forward an issue or send them the link.
The goal
With the right information, you can use the internet however suits you, with confidence and on your own terms.
Thanks for stopping by.
John
.
Share it with someone you care about
Scams work on people who haven’t heard of them yet. If Heads Up has helped you, it could help someone you care about too.
Who might like it
Parents, grandparents, friends from your club or church, a neighbour who lives alone, or anyone who’s mentioned a strange message lately.
A quick tip
“I found this useful and thought of you” goes down better than “you need to read this.” And send them the link rather than signing them up yourself, so the emails don’t land in junk.
Ways to share
Email or text. Copy and paste this:
Hi [name], I’ve been reading a free weekly email called Heads Up that explains the latest scams in plain English. I’ve found it really useful and thought of you:
heads-up.beehiiv.comForward an issue. Every issue has a sign-up link at the bottom.
Print it. Hand it over or pin it up at your club.
Thanks for passing it on.
John