Did You Know?

Parkside Has A Justice of the Peace

From time to time, clients need to have original documents witnessed and copies certified or applications which require a JP as a witness.  At Parkside InvestorPlus, we have a Justice of the Peace who can make himself available to certify your copies and assist with your witnessing needs.  It is however essential that when you present documents for signature as Certified Copies, that you also present the original. All original documents requiring certified copies whether a Marriage Certificate, Passport Financial Statement or Stock Certificate must be presented before they can be stamped and signed.

Also, at Parkside, your reason for needing a JP does not have to be related to your finances, if we can help by witnessing or certifying personal papers, passport applications or any other documentation, please feel free to call us.

Scam Protection

You can protect yourself from those email scams asking for your pin number and account details.  Here's what ASIC recommends you do if you receive an email stating that your bank details need to be confirmed. Whatever you do, don't send your account details and pin number over the internet.

Seven safety checks to protect yourself
1 First, stay calm.
It's natural to be alarmed by an email claiming your account has been frozen or your credit card information has been stolen. Resist your first impulse to reply. Never follow the instructions in the email.
2 Keep your computer secure.
Some frauds can lure you into opening an email or attachment that secretly installs a 'trojan' that allows scammers to monitor your computer and access your accounts. Install effective protection on your computer, and keep it up to date.
  • Get an effective virus protection program but take the time to regularly download the latest version. If you have not upgraded for the past six months, your protection is probably inadequate.
  • Get a 'firewall' to protect your computer from unauthorised access over the internet. This is especially important for broadband users.
  • Delete suspicious emails without opening them. Avoid opening dubious attachments, even if the email seems to comes from someone you trust.
3 Only go to the official website for your financial institution using your 'favourites' or by typing its URL in the address bar of your web browser.
Never click any hyperlink in an email. The hyperlink leads only to trouble. If there is a real problem, the genuine website will almost certainly tell you on its home page. You will not have to fix it by emailing confidential information. Some scam sites even show the padlock at the bottom of your web browser giving you a false sense of security.
Regularly change your internet banking and shopping PINs. Some banks recommend changing your PIN as often as every month.
4 Suspect a scam if you??re asked for your account details or your passwords by email.
Legitimate companies never ask for your account details or your passwords by email. If you get this kind of email, it's almost certainly a scam.
5 For Australian sites, look for the ?? .au?? domain such as ??com.au?? or ??net.au??.
In Australia anyone registering an .au domain must show a link between the proposed URL and an Australian trading entity. To date, ASIC has not come across a phoney .au site, although that doesn't guarantee it will never happen.
Despite this protection you must still be suspicious of any link given to you in an email. The address of your bank's real website can still appear as part of the link to a false website. The familiar link words in the URL are there to trick you by making you feel comfortable. But your website browser doesn't read all parts of the link and takes you to a false site.
This is why it is essential that you never click any link in an email such as this.
6 Take a few privacy precautions.
Some authorities suggest avoiding personal transactions at Internet cafes, community centres and libraries. In some places, criminals have loaded software that records keystrokes. Check that nobody is looking over your shoulder and keep private information out of chat rooms or email.
7 Act quickly if you think you've been conned.
If you get a suspicious email tell the service provider. Do nothing about the email. If you're still uncertain or if you have sent any details through an email or website you're a bit worried about, email or phone the company's customer support department, and ask them to confirm the email's authenticity. They will tell you what to do next.