NEWSFLASHES International Students Targeted as Email Scam Hits Macquarie In the midst of the panic of COVID-19, a virtual kidnapping scam has hit Macquarie, targeting the families of international students. On June 22nd a generalised email was sent out by the university to international students advising them on how to spot internet scams. This was followed by another email on July 31st alerting students about the details of the targeted virtual kidnapping email scam. The virtual kidnapping scam involves scammers convincing the students’ families at home that their son/daughter has been kidnapped in Australia. They then insist that the family transfer money to the scammer as ransom for their child’s safe release. The scams often begin with scammers calling random Australian phone numbers pretending to be authoritative figures (such as Consulate Generals, government officials, or the police). Speaking in their native language, the scammers wait until they find someone who will respond. They then trick the victim into thinking they have been implicated in a crime and may be removed from Australia or face criminal charges in court. They may also threaten their families if they refuse to cooperate. The scammers often mask their phone numbers, so if it is traced online, it will match the phone number of the authoritative figure they are impersonating. No exact statistics have been released on the number of students and families affected by the scam or whether any formal rectifications have been undertaken to remedy the victims. The university advised that any scammer calls should be reported to NSW Police. Any students affected have been encouraged to contact the Student Wellbeing Team at wellbeing@mq.edu.au or 02 9850 7497. by Katelyn Free
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Kind to Animals, Evil to Employees The No Evil vegan food brand markets itself as a good doing, left wing, grassroots vegan good company. The branding is explicitly radical and progressive. They have even named one of their no-meat chicken products as “Comrade Cluck”. Despite these bold and heartfelt claims, earlier this year, the large food company suppressed a drive by employees to unionise and then fired the organisers. Oopsies – that’s not very Marxist of you. In late March, workers circulated a petition calling for hazard pay as COVID-19 outbreaks began appearing in food processing plants across the United States. Over half a dozen current and former employees spoke out and described a hostile union-busting campaign. Many meetings were required and labelled as “educational” sessions where management talked down unions and any organising drives. In addition to this, the company has also been accused of using “shadow write-ups” that is – writing employees up for violations without telling them, and then citing the violations in their firings. In response to these allegations, No Evil foods has refused to comment or interview. They however did release a statement saying “No Evil Foods is a small, young business, we have only been around for 6 years and everyone on our team is giving every ounce of energy to keep our company alive.” The statement isn’t exactly reassuring, under what pressure and conditions are the employees giving ‘every ounce of energy’? The pandemic has hit workers incredibly hard and it is so important that every worker feels safe in their workplace. by Rayna Bland
