It’s the season for scammers, so take care online and don’t fall victim to a con.
Hare are some tips to help keep you safe, feel free to add your own in the comments below:
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Two Victorian women were scammed out of $800,000 over a two week period by persons claiming to represent the Shanghai Police .
https://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/news/shanghai-police-phone-scam
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Here are the Commonwealth Bank ones. My other half got a Commonwealth Bank phishing text one today.
Something also worth carrying out when receiving a email or text one is not 100% sure about is to do a google search or check the scamwatch website as it is likely that others have reported similar scam messages.
Never click on links on the text/email. If you are unsure. Open the browser yourself and type in your usual URL to the organisation in question and work from there. Again, NEVER use hyperlinks in emails or text messages…or even cut and paste them unto your browser.
And also remember if you receive an unsolicited offer, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is a scam or someone trying to fleece your hard earned cash out of your hands.
If you receive an unsolicited phone call and think it is genuine, as for their contact details (the name of the person you are talking to and their phone number) including street and postal address and say you will call them back. A scammer will either hang up or give you something bogus hoping that giving the information is enough to convenience you it is a legitimate call…so you stay on the line. One the information has been received, hang up, google the details to check they are correct for the organisation making the unsolicited call. If they match and you need to call them back, do so as the risks of being a scammer is very low/almost zero.
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Just received another email from Scamwatch which I have pasted below along with a link to a corresponding article on their website.
Reverse the threat of cybercrime this Stay Smart Online Week
Dear XXXX,
Cybercrime is a big problem in Australia and all over the world. The human and financial cost to businesses and society is rising every year. This Stay Smart Online Week, Australians are encouraged to reverse the threat of online scams.
Between January and August 2018 reports to Scamwatch indicate $48 million has been reported lost to over 38 000 online based scams.
Many scams also go unreported, and research has demonstrated that over six million Australians were affected by cybercrime last year.
More scam are occurring over the internet as social media and online shopping becomes more popular and sophisticated. Dating and romance scams now happen on social media as much as dating websites and scammers are creating more convincing fakes of real online retailers and other websites to steal your personal information.
That’s why, this week Scamwatch is partnering with Stay Smart Online to fight back against cybercrime and help you and your family stay safe online.
It’s all about smarter ways to avoid the pain, money and time it costs to recover from cybercrime. We can all take simple actions to keep ourselves, our families and businesses protected when connected.
• When shopping online, check reviews, do your research and only pay with secure payment methods.
• Be wary of free downloads and website access, such as music, games, movies and adult sites, they may install harmful programs without you knowing.
• Always keep your computer security up to date. Only buy computer and anti-virus software from a reputable source.
• Don’t click on any links or open attachments from emails claiming to be from your bank or another trusted organisation asking you to update or verify your details – just delete the email.
• Choose passwords and PINs that would be difficult for others to guess, and update them regularly. Don’t save them on your phone or computer.
• Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer.
Stop cybercriminals from getting the keys to your life – lock down your online security today.
For more information visit Stay Smart Online Week
@scamwatch_gov
Follow us on Twitter
Report a scam
Report a scam on our website
You have received this email because you have subscribed to receive Scamwatch radar alerts issued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. You can view more news & alerts on the Scamwatch website.
If you have any doubts about an email’s source, verify the sender by independent means - use their official contact details to check the email is legitimate before clicking on links or opening attachments.
Copyright © 2018 ACCC, All rights reserved.
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Just received an email scam that claims to be from the ATO, and even provides a link to MyGov, which is actually not a link to MyGov. Hovering my mouse pointer over the MyGov link shows it actually points to some obscure web address that wouldn’t in a billion years be associated with MyGov. I can imagine a lot of people seeing this and not knowing about checking where it’s going first, meaning they’d end up clicking on the link and giving away all of their bank details and possibly copies of their ID to fraudsters via a fake ATO website. It was sent to the email address I use for my registered business, so they’re probably hoping some accountant or boss will be ignorant enough about these scams to click on the thing. Here’s a screenshot.
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Have you posted it on the ACCC Scamwatch webiste?
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No, but I’ve reported it to acorn.gov.au
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Another one:
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You just beat me to posting the warning.
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Another one to add to the pile.
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Ever since registering with MyGov I get a text telling me that there’s a message for me. I then log in myself in the ATO dep. or whatever dep. has been mentioned, and open my mail in there. As a direct email has never been sent to me from any of the departments linked in MyGov, I’d be suspicious if things were done in a different way.
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This is 2-3 years old, but really a good read for someone to get an overall idea about most of the scams
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An article warning regarding online scams, especially involving Facebook.
The advertised shorts for this look interesting.
ABC TV tonight: Spying On The Scammers
Thursday, 11 Nov
8:01 PM - 8:31 PM [30 mins]
Computer scams con millions of people every year. Many are run from criminal call centres in India. Discover how these scammers operate with hacked CCTV footage from inside one call centre.
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