Did you know? In 2017 the ACCC Scamwatch site received more than 51,000 reports of scammers trying to con people online. An estimated $37million has been lost to online scammers this year, with people aged between 45 and 54 most likely to lose money.
As recently communicated by the ACCC Scamwatch website, the top three scams people are most likely to encounter and what you should watch out for are:-
For more information visit www.scamwatch.gov.au.
As recently communicated by the ACCC Scamwatch website, the top three scams people are most likely to encounter and what you should watch out for are:-
- Phishing – often delivered via email, scammers will pretend to be from a reputable business or government department who try to con unsuspecting victims of personal information and money. E.g. the scammer may say they’re from Apple, and you need to reset your password for security reasons, or offer you a gift voucher for a major store by completing a ‘survey’.
- False billing – scammers will pretend to be from a utility provider and send a fake bill. These scams can be very hard to pick as they can look authentic.
- Buying and selling – scammers will trick people to buy and sell online. E.g. A fake online store is created and sells well-known brands at seemingly ‘to good to be true’ prices, or they may set up a fake listing on a classified website.
- While often scammers are after money, they may also try to steal your personal information – remember to safeguard your personal details online the same way you would your wallet.
- If you are contacted ‘out of the blue’ particularly by email, by someone asking you to pay a bill, complete a survey or update passwords, it pays to be skeptical. If it seems ‘to good to be true’ it probably is!
- If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of the online store, company etc - do some research! Check if the company exists as you may find others who have been stung by scammers who will often post warnings.
For more information visit www.scamwatch.gov.au.
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