#scam #warning #Australia
Scammers are now making use of personal #Optus data that has been obtained in the 2022 #breach. Got a call from person who had my phone number, my full name, my username, and the numbers my account ended with. I was almost convinced, but then they launched into the standard "we have noticed errors on the IP address associated with your account". Don't fall for this scam. They have your Optus details, but are NOT Optus. I blew a sports whistle loudly in the phone at them

Today’s the day that Telstra has planned to shut its last 3G network tower — but I’ve had a bunch of queries around accessibility, imported phones and more, so I’ve written up one last guide (and video) to try to help!

#3G #4G #5G #Australia #Telstra #Optus #Vodafone

https://alexreviewstech.com/3g-in-australia-is-dead-what-happens-next/

For Australian users of #SailfishOS it seems that #Optus have blocked grey imported Xperias. Anyone any tips on getting hold of a handset I can run Sailfish on that will now work on Australian networks?
https://medium.com/@jamesdwho/australias-3g-shutdown-telcos-to-block-working-4g-5g-phones-2bf41e95de8a#d468

A #PSA for anyone living, staying, entering or even travelling to/from #Australia:

Apparently, #Australia decided to mandate it's #GSM systems to be shutdown because some #GalaxyBrainChair wanted to yeet #2G & #3G and demand everything to use #4G & #5G when in fact #VoLTE support is spotty at best and #EmergencyCalling oftentimes is explicitly hardcoded to not use #WIFIcalling or VoLTE as providing #triangulation and #LocationData via #SS7 is a desired feature when someone calls EMS, Fire Dept or the Police for help...

• So essentially #tourists and anyone who hasn't an explicitly fully VoLTE-functional device they tested and verified to also do #EmergencyCalls via VoLTE are fecked with no reception when they need it the most!

• This WILL KILL PEOPLE!!!

As much as we want to bitch about #GSM & #GPRS / #UMTS being #outdated and #inefficient, there are reasons to at least keep 2G available - ranging from lower power consumption to higher resilience in emergency situations.

• #NewZealand for example does shutdown non-#EmergencyCalls during severe #Earthquakes so that people trapped and/or in need of urgent assistance can get through to dispatch operators and everyone else has to get in line and take a number aka. use #SMS or if existing #Internet to say "I'm fine!"...

• If the Ozzies really need that juicy #UHF #SubGHz #Spectrum it's totally feasible to instead change the #allocations and reconfigure #CellularNetworks to use lesser bandwith for 2G (i.e. only keeping the absolute mininum of channels available for any service) and thus clear up space...

And to add insult to injury, Australia passed a #NorthKorea|n-alike #CellPhone #ImportBan for any device that doesn't do i.e. the bespoke proprietary garbage that i.e. #Telstra, #Vodafone and #Optus do with the #baseband modems of their #branded devices...

Seriously, which #TechIlliterate dickhead decided it's a good idea to do that #3Gshutdown in Australia without even a basic 2G network up and running at all?

• At least #Switzerland [AFAIK] still has #3G up and running (tho it would've been wiser to do it like #Germany and keep #2G as emergency fallback with it's functions like #CellBroadcast....

I have bought a pump. Its job is to spray the house all over with water when a #bushfire comes. There's only so much water, so it needs to be timed right, otherwise the house will dry out before the heat arrives.

So, attached to the pump is a controller made by the thoughtful and nice Graham and Matt at Small Farm Services. (https://smallfarmservices.net.au).
I send it a 'start' over SMS and it starts. Later it sends me status messages. Marvelous.

The trouble, of course, is that #mobile #networks get turned off and/or fail during bushfires.

#Optus, #Telstra, any chance you could give me an indication of failure modes during fires? No, I didn't really think you would. <rolls eyes>. Did you know that #Optus funded a CRC into bushfires at ANU? It did/does really good stuff. (https://brcoe.org). Optus has issued press releases like this: https://www.optus.com.au/about/media-centre/media-releases/2023/11/optus-invests-to-protect-bushfire-prone-communities.
I cannot find out what MY base station's remaining vulnerabilities are, nor understand it's dependancies. Can *that one* last 20 hours without power? Can it's upstream links? Can I send an SMS over it if it is disconnected from Optus' authentication, authorisation and billing systems? What about Telstra? Coverage of both is good and I can see both towers - an advantage of living on a hill.

Without solid answers, I am looking to add some backup communications channel. I have an existing #LoRaWAN setup, and am wondering about firming it up and extending it out to very long range. The safe place I will be during the fire is about 10km away. Maybe that is the best independent path? But, maybe I should use some UHF data medium instead of LoRa? Something plainer, more commonly understood and dull?

Questions:
Anyone have resilience information for 4G SMS networks?
Should I buy a #Telstra or Optus #SIM?
Backup medium? What is the most solid thing for, say 10km?

What does The Department of #Radio Mastodon think please?

#CommonwealthBank joins #Coles, #Woolies and #Optus in breaking the law #wagetheft #auspol #australia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgYlmTYlz0Q

Has anyone tried signing up for that free week with #Optus

If not, don’t. You go through a registration process where you provide personal info before getting a temporary phone number.

Then it tells you to log in with email and password. Except at no stage during registration does it ever ask you to set up a password.

So you can’t sign in. And support can’t help because they can’t find any account (even after being sent screenshots confirming my “new number” etc)

Whoever designed this promo must want that company to fail. Big time

Related, just wasted 90 minutes of my life on their online support. Who provided none.

Had to recharge my #Optus #Prepaid account.

#ForcedToUseTheirApp as prepaid customers can't use their website.
Such a grotty company.

But the 2FA code never arrives.
Though a 0.5 second box flashes by with "version" as one of the words

I go to Playstore.
But no update for #OptusApp is listed.

Tried app again, "Use DigitalID" or something similar gets an Update App on Playstore to appear.

A crappy crappy company.

Off to get a #Boost sim now. Low expectations - #Telstra.

Getting something like "Your device is not authorised to make calls to that number" when trying to make a mobile phone call this morning.

Maybe #Optus has #SwitchedOff3G network here?

I'm lucky enough and rich enough to have a new phone ready to go.

Others won't be.

Been #MessedAbout by both #Optus and #Telstra so much that I'm giving up on them providing adequate service.

So I'll be moving to a smaller provider with cheaper prices.
(And #MigratingInstances)

Been running the #ComputerTechnologyMaze today.

1. Changed mobile network provider away from #Optus. (One account down, one to go. Even low expectations aren't met.) Trouble free, quick pay of the money.
2. Helped an #ElderlyRelative buy a very large display phone / phablet / tablet with telephony-voice-calls using an online payment site - took 90 minutes to get probably through, with 2 unwanted extra phones left in cart and never received the verification SMS.
Waste of time. ...

#ElderlyRelative on the phone to #Optus helpline trying to find out why Optus is saying "You have insufficient credit" when she tries to make an international call.

Volume of waiting music is about 5 times that of the recorded voices.

Skanky!

Waited 11:35 mm:ss so far.

Here is a poll.

How long from start of call do you think it'll be before a useful Optus human responds

"The #money was from my rainy-day account, so I consider myself fortunate there, but my #DigitalIdentity has been completely trashed."

“Phone porting is a legitimate practice people use to move a phone number from one telecommunication provider to another.”

#PhonePorting / #SIMSwap / #Optus / #Australia <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-10/optus-customer-victim-phone-porting-sim-swap-scam/103676088>

#Google is beyond creepy pervert level of spying. Setting up some brand new corporate phones for my users. Completely blank and using a generic IT services Gmail account we use just for provisioning our #Android kit. It has no ties to me personally at all.

*ALL* the suggestions coming up on these devices play stores are clearly based off what's on my own phone, which is in the same room, but should have zero connection to them (my phone never touches the organisations WiFi and always runs on #Telstra whereas the org uses #Optus).

Smartphones are so damn dodgy. Turn off *every* feature you aren't actively using. Turn off the handset and leave it in another room if you are discussing *anything* private or confidential. Don't just use flight mode... It can still buffer and "call home" later.