TELEPHONE SCAMS TO BE AWARE OF

1.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has urged Australians to practice caution when answering unknown calls as thousands fall victim to a convincing new phone scam.

Scammers pose as the Australian Border Force in an attempt to steal unsuspecting individuals’ personal information. Targets of the scam will receive a message claiming a package addressed to them has been seized for containing illicit substances and as a result an arrest warrant has been issued.

It will then ask recipients to dial “one” to speak with an officer. The ACCC warned in a Tweet that anyone who receives the message should “hang up immediately”.

An ACCC spokesperson told 7 News that Scamwatch had received over 4940 reports of the scam so far this year.

2.

Another scam involves an email alledgedly from the Australian Post Office advising you that there is a parcel waiting to be collected at the despatch depot. But due to address issue they cannot deliver and there will be a small charge for work they have had to do.

These scams are identifyable by spelling mistakes in both your name and other words within the associated text.

Also tap the downward arrow key next to your address and reveal the source of the email, normally outside of Australia with a VERY complex email address.

3.

A flash message on your PC advising you that your system has an infection and to phone  the number on the screen.

This a 100% scam. Simply turning  off your PC will remove the infection.

On laptops hold down the power key for about 10 seconds to force a shut down. The next time you start your computer the browser will reset and clear the infection.