# Crime expert backs calls for 'licence to compute'



## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

http://www.itnews.com.au/News/154129,crime-expert-backs-calls-for-licence-to-compute.aspx

excerpt>



> Australia's leading criminologist thinks online scams have escalated to such a point that first-time users of computers should have to earn a licence to surf the web.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

The mind boggles!


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## ozziebeanie (Jun 24, 2009)

JohnWill said:


> The mind boggles!


It certainly does, there was a program on the other night, about some in Australia falling for the Nigerian email scam that has been around since year dot, and some even after been told it's fraud, still send more money.

Some are also highly educated, It makes me wonder, I am not highly educated, but I have common sense, (with the occasional ditsy moment) reckon I would rather have that.

Those I mentioned above, I doubt if lessons to get a computer licence would make a difference

But you never know it might make some realise but then again what age do you start? They use computers in school now (man that is telling on my age) should it become part of the school curriculum?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Well, I started with computers in the 60's working for IBM.


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## ozziebeanie (Jun 24, 2009)

I was born in the 60's and started school in the 60's, no computers at school back then. They did have an electric typewriter when I went to high school in the 70's and we thought that was modern, and still no computers at high school either, and we where not allowed to use calculators.

I was an adult before I had my first experience with a computer (as in home computer) I know a lot of other things like those bank machines are considered a computer. Did not build my first computer till the late 90's somewhere. 

When I think about education about scams on line, I mean I picked up strait away about scams. I am not uneducated or stupid but I am by no means super smart or anything, yet I can work those things out. 

I mean they are not that subtle about stuff in these emails. And some of them have really badly written English supposedly from a lawyer or such other educated person, and my English is bad, but compared to those emails, my English skills look good. I don't think it has anything to do with education, but how do you teach common sense, or maybe its just people are to trusting?

But when people are told it's a scam and they still send money one wonders how the human mind works sometimes and as JohnWill say's the mind boggles.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

Hey you mean since i just happen to be the millionth visiter of every..I dont win a free laptop

I thought all the foxes doing scams were triplets as they have 2 more profiles with the same pictures.

People are vulnerable no doubt....maybe some know better....i know some that have been caught up in scams...they always have that bit of hope thats its real...this is where the problem lies at.

Also they believe..."they cant do if its not legal"...so therefore will continue to believe in the scam...believing somehow the govt is doing their job.


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## ozziebeanie (Jun 24, 2009)

A bit naive maybe, but you could be right, those that have not had innocence taken away yet. Who believe everyone has good in them.

I still believe some do but certainly not all.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

They forgot to say they need money and the people do not want to pay more taxes so they are dreaming up other ways to get money.

Like here in the US when we don't want more taxes they get around it by taxing smokers and they got hit really hard this year with the tax and it that health care gets passed they will get $2.00 more a pack added tax.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

I had a scammer trying for about 3 months to scam me.
I told her I wired the money etc...dont know what happened lol
I had fun messing with her head....that is if it was a she could have been a guy,,,no way to tell for sure


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## techkid (Sep 2, 2004)

My dad always said "If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't".

I set up my first (and still my current) email address in 1997, during my computer studies classes in high school. I wasn't getting spam until about a year later, and even then I said to myself "I haven't done anything to win, inherit, or otherwise acquire $1,000,000 (or whatever it was)". Especially when it asks to transfer money over to a foreign country (Nigeria is the most popular).

As the rest of you have been saying, it's a contest between common sense and blind optimism, so I don't think a "computer drivers licence" is the solution.



ozziebeanie said:


> But you never know it might make some realise but then again what age do you start? They use computers in school now (man that is telling on my age) should it become part of the school curriculum?


They do indeed. But I'm not sure about how much they learn about security online. I think they cover things like "don't give your details away to strangers online" and the like, but they fail when it comes to things like viruses, scam advertising and dodgy websites (which is why I stay with my nephew when he wants to use the computer).


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## ozziebeanie (Jun 24, 2009)

techkid said:


> They do indeed. But I'm not sure about how much they learn about security online. I think they cover things like "don't give your details away to strangers online" and the like, but they fail when it comes to things like viruses, scam advertising and dodgy websites (which is why I stay with my nephew when he wants to use the computer).


Quite agree with you there, I still remember back when I first used a computer, I stuffed up sending my first email by forgetting to put a dot in the address (did not think that was that important,) never mind knowing stuff about viruses.



hewee said:


> Like here in the US when we don't want more taxes they get around it by taxing smokers and they got hit really hard this year with the tax and it that health care gets passed they will get $2.00 more a pack added tax.


Here in Australia they have put extra taxes on booze and smokes saying they are putting that towards the health system as drunk drivers that cause injury or death and smokers that get cancer or what ever else they get sick from is costing the health system to much.

Yet I don't see that things have improved or see where the money has gone

I guess governments scam people to.

To teach people about scams I guess you can only show them examples from the real bad/not very convincing ones to the quite professional looking ones.

The ones that still send money after been told its a scam, I am at a loss as to how to convince them that they are throwing their money away.


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## Ent (Apr 11, 2009)

This is rediculous. Are we going to need a license to walk down the street now? Very dangerous that is...people get mugged on the street...not to mention the huge spam boards and _cut price_ signs which do as well or better than any amount of e-mail. You can't out of simple incompetence drive over somebody else while walking in the street either, same as in cyberspace.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

ozziebeanie said:


> Quite agree with you there, I still remember back when I first used a computer, I stuffed up sending my first email by forgetting to put a dot in the address (did not think that was that important,) never mind knowing stuff about viruses.
> 
> Here in Australia they have put extra taxes on booze and smokes saying they are putting that towards the health system as drunk drivers that cause injury or death and smokers that get cancer or what ever else they get sick from is costing the health system to much.
> 
> ...


Same here but what they say the added money would be used to was a lie because less then 5% went to what they said it would be used for.
Goes to show they just wanted the money and that was the only way to get it pass.

Now they want to take more from us that get money from SS and not give us the cost of living and make us pay more for part B and that gives the poor less money and that 51 million will get the cuts. How are they helping us out?

Now another Federal 'cash for appliances' program is out.
How is this going to help anyone? Nothing is made in the USA so only ones that it will help is the stores selling it and the company's that have them made. 
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2146720.html

No way is this helping those who are out of work or poor.


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