During the first 6 months of 2017, over 80,000 reports were made to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) of scams costing nearly $40 million dollars. Those over the age of 45 seem to be the hardest hit so what can you do to keep your hard-earnt money safe and your identity protected?
Don’t take it personally – the scammer at the other end of the phone, email or text has absolutely no idea who you are or where you live. You are simply an email address or phone number to them. These unscrupulous people are hoping to:
- Trick you into paying them money or providing personal details that can be used fraudulently
- Transfer some kind of malware or virus to your computer in the hope of extorting money
Regardless of how official an email or a text message looks, or how vital a phone call sounds, it is important to note that a legitimate organisation will never ask you to:
- Pay money before you can receive a refund or payment
- Pay a debt using iTunes vouchers, gift cards or pre-paid credit cards
- Provide personal information via email or SMS
- Pay money into a personal bank account
- Download files or open attachments in unsolicited emails
If you are not sure if the email, text message or phone call is legitimate, contact the organisation direct for confirmation.
Email scams
The most common way scammers will try and trick you into divulging personal information or handing over money is via email. Here are some tell-tale signs that the email may not be genuine:
- Email not personalised (ie. Dear member)
- Poor grammar and spelling
- From an incorrect email address (ie. not from the legitimate organisation)
- Links in the email point to bogus websites
- Embedded attachments
- Requests personal identification documents to verify your identity
- Offers you something that seems too good to be true
- Advises a refund will be paid to a credit card account
- Requests personal details to be entered in an online form
- Asks you to provide credit card details including CVN
5 ways to stay safe
Scammers are clever and if you don’t know what to look for, anyone can fall victim to a scam. As such, the best way to protect yourself is through awareness and education including:
- The purchase, installation and ongoing subscription of a comprehensive anti-virus system for your devices
- The creation of an email address which is hard to guess by using an unusual combination of characters (ie. cd63@gmail.com)
- The reduction of the number of websites and places in which you enter your details and only provide the minimum amount of information needed to complete the required task
- Being familiar with the “tell-tale” signs of a fake email
- Read the ACCC’s The Little Black Book of Scams and sign up to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au
If you have any questions about scams or need some help with your devices, please call Christine David of IT 4 Retirees Pty Ltd on 0401-017-459 or send an email to chris@it4retirees.com.au. Her team of trainers are skilled on all types of computers, mobile phones and tablets and come to your home at a time that suits you to help you master the things that are important to you at a pace that suits you.