Perth in Times Square for NYE 2022

 It seems like tonight the spotlight in Times Square New York City will be on Western Australia. Who would have thought that our little abode would get such a high level campaign. For those whose interest in Western Australia has been piqued by the campaign, do leave a comment. Perth, the capital city of Western Australia has changed dramatically over the last ten years. Those that have been back have remarked at the transformation, from the moment that their cab took them from the airport, it seemed like everything had changed. The Tonkin Highway drive into the city is now lined with overpasses and a streetscape that reflects a city growing up. The South Perth foreshore has been revamped, with the Perth Zoo creatures welcoming the ferry from the Perth City and children playing on the small beaches along the river. Then you have the Elizabeth Quay development which is still developing with the Ritz Carlton presence a world class endorsement. There is the Como The Treasury hotel which has been voted as the world's best hotel by Conde Nast a few years ago which sits next to the Perth City library which is an architectural wonder. For those considering the 15 hour flight to Perth, you won't regret making the journey.

Elizbeth Quay

City scape from the City of Perth library

Optus Hack - How much do they have on you?

Some helpful forum posts have indicated that there is a way that you can see the data that was stolen from Optus about you. You can check the Optus customer API yourself by first logging into your Optus account at https://www.optus.com.au. You can only access data for the logged in user, and can't view the data of other customers.

Then follow this link to see what data would have looked like. Take note of the 'contactID' from here - https://www.optus.com.au/mcssapi/rp-webapp-9-common/user/inf...

Then replace {contactId} with your customer ID you found in the first link into this web address, replacing of course the {contactId} with your ID.

https://www.optus.com.au/mcssapi/rp-webapp-9-common/customer-management/contact-person/{contactId}?lo=en_US&sc=SS

If you see "Driving Licence","indentValue":"XXXXXXXX" then XXXXXXX is your driver licence number. 

Optus Hack - are you a Category 1 or a Category 2 victim?

There are two groups of people affected by the Optus security breach - which one are you? 

CATEGORY 1

If you got an email from Optus with the following 2nd paragraph, then you are one of the more affected customers from this recent hack - 

Importantly, no financial information or passwords have been accessed. The information which has been exposed is your name, date of birth, email, phone number, address associated with your account, and the numbers of the ID documents you provided such as drivers licence number or passport number. No copies of photo IDs have been affected.

If you had the above paragraph you should put a ban on credit checks and also apply for an extension of that ban with a second form. You may also want to join the class action updates from Slater & Gordon and if they do proceed with a lawsuit, you may be compensated if you register with them.

CATEGORY 2

Those that were not so affected are those that did not have their drivers licence number or passport number breached and the second paragraph from Optus will say this - 

No financial information or passwords have been accessed. The information which has been exposed is a combination of your name, date of birth, email, phone number and/or address associated with your account. No ID document numbers or details have been affected.

Optus is still working out how to respond to this hack and whether to compensate customers. 

Optus hack - How to ban credit checks

If you had an email from Optus in the last few days mentioning that your driver's license or passport number was included in the breach, it is a good idea to stop people from applying for a loan or credit using your ID. You can apply for bans with all of the Australian CRAs by engaging just one credit reporting agency and requesting that they place bans with all CRAs if you agree to their terms and conditions. You can choose one of the following and tick the box where it says that you would like them to notify other CRAs. It takes literally 5 minutes to save you a potential headache of some hacker using your ID to borrow hundreds of thousands. 

• https://experian-apac.force.com/banrequest/s/ban-request-for...

• https://www.equifax.com.au/eform/submit/credit-ban

• https://www.illion.com.au/illion-au-ban-request-application-...

How to get more than 4c off Ampol, Shell or Caltex Woolworths?

There are so many changes recently with petrol stations that it is confusing where you can use different fuel offers. Everyone knows about the 4c off you can get at Caltex Woolworths petrol stations when you spend $30 at Woolworths and the 4c off Coles Express when you spend $30 at Coles. Some may not know about the other extra offers you can get on top of these. 

For Shell - If you don't mind adding the CarSales App to your phone, you can get 8c off petrol on top of your Coles Express offer. There is also the offer from MyCar car servicing (not sure I would recommend them though) who offer you a "Shell Secret Saver" app for two months during which you can use up to 20 times their 10c off Shell petrol. However, you can't stack this offer with the CarSales Shell offer because both offers are via a company called Viva Energy and can't be stacked. 

For Ampol - Ampol has a 6c off offer for those who own a Toyota and download the MyToyota App every 24 hours with the barcode updating every day. You can also buy digital gift cards via Shopback for 3% off which at today's petrol prices, is another 5c off. Some Ampol petrol stations also allow you to get 4c off if you have a Woolworths petrol offer on your Woolworths rewards card. However, some Ampol stores only show an Woolworths Rewards card banner but not 4c off. This means that you can earn Woolworths Rewards points, but you can't redeem your 4c off. 

For Caltex Woolworths - You can buy WISH giftcards from places like RAC or the Entertainment Book for 3% off which can be used at Caltex Woolworths petrol stations.  Note that you can't use Woolworths gift cards at Caltex Woolworths petrol stations, only WISH giftcards or WISH egiftcards. If a Caltex Woolworths petrol station becomes an Ampol, I don't think you can use a WISH card there either. Confused? So are we. If you notice any other offers or exceptions floating around, please leave a comment below

How to Remember Where You've Been with Google Maps

If you are in a jurisdiction where COVID hasn't yet ravaged, such as Western Australia, you may be wondering whether there is a way that you can keep track of where you've been when exposure sites are listed. One way is to let technology do it for you. It is possible that Google Maps has already been doing it on your phone. Go to your Google Maps app on your phone and tap the top right corner then tap "Your Timeline". If you have location tracking enabled, you will see where you've been today and with one tap to the left arrow, where you were yesterday and at what time. 

If location tracking is not enabled, you should go to https://myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy and sign in to Google if you haven't already. Then under Data and Privacy, tick the box next to Location History. Whether you have Google Maps open or not on your phone, your phone will now remember where you've been. Very helpful when you can't work out what you did last Tuesday when Omicron was walking the supermarket or pharmacy.