[The Conversation]

Australians lost more than $3bn to scammers in 2022. Here are 5 emerging scams to look out for​

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest Targeting Scams report indicates Australians reported more than A$3 billion lost to fraud in 2022. This is about a $1 billion increase on reported losses from 2021.

Year upon year, we’re witnessing a rise in monetary losses to fraud. Behind these figures sit millions of Australians who experience a range of financial and non-financial harms.

Here’s what we’ve learned from the latest report – and some advice on what to look out for in the year ahead.

2022 at a glance​

Of the reported $3 billion lost, about half was stolen as part of investment schemes – more than double the $701 million figure from 2021. A desire to invest in cryptocurrency has driven up these losses, with potential investors inadvertently transferring money to offenders advertising a range of falsehoods.

Remote access schemes – in which a scammer convinces the victim to grant them access to their computer – jumped into second place, with $229 million in reported losses. This was followed by payment redirection scams (also known as business email compromise fraud).

Those who reported directly to Scamwatch lost an average of $19,654 – an increase of 54% from the $12,742 reported in 2021.

The report also shows not all victims are targeted equally; people aged 65 years and older reported the highest losses across all demographics. Indigenous Australians, people with a disability, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds were also overrepresented.

For the first time in many years, text message was the most popular method for offenders to target victims. And while bank transfers were the most popular way to send funds to offenders, cryptocurrency transfers continue to increase in popularity – rising 162.4% in one year.

Scammers are always looking for new ways to deceive people, and this often involves trying to build rapport. Michael Lucy​

There was, however, a reduction in fraudulent phone calls. This is likely attributable to the introduction of regulatory action to block known scam calls. It’s a bright spot in an otherwise dark report.

Trends to look out for​

The Targeting Scams report demonstrates the many ways offenders seek to defraud victims. On one hand, people are becoming more aware of common scam tactics. On the other, criminals are adjusting their methods to gain the upper hand.

Here are five types of relatively lesser-known frauds everyone should be aware of.

1. Romance baiting

Also known as “cryptorom” or “pig butchering”, this scam is a convergence of investment fraud and traditional romance fraud approaches.

The offender first initiates a relationship with the victim – through dating apps, websites or social media platforms. Once they’ve established trust, they encourage the victim to put their money into an “investment” opportunity, often cryptocurrency. The victim will then unknowingly transfer their money to the offender, who is under a different guise.

This kind of romance baiting raises fewer red flags than directly asking for money, and is targeting a younger demographic compared to more traditional romance fraud.

Such deceptions are coded under investment schemes. This is likely driving the surge in investment scheme losses reported in recent years, while also accounting for a lack of substantial increases in romance fraud.

2. Online shopping fraud

Offenders are skilled at creating fake websites and product advertisements that look genuine.

Often these fake sites will have only subtle differences from their real counterparts. Consumers may not be able to tell the difference. Criminals can directly access funds through victims’ credit card details obtained on these sites.

Online shopping fraud targets a range of demographics. It’s happening on stand-alone websites, social media platforms and online marketplaces.

3. Jobs and employment fraud

Research has indicated that working from home and flexible working conditions are strong indicators of a fraudulent job listing.

But in a post-COVID world, flexibility at work is often a key criterion for job seekers, if not a deal-breaker. Offenders have noticed this, and are responding by posting attractive job advertisements that offer flexibility and high incomes.

Victims submit their CVs and personal credentials (setting themselves up for identity crime), or may be required to pay upfront for training or materials costs for a job that doesn’t exist.

Employment scams are targeting younger people in particular, as they’re more likely to have experienced job loss and insecurity in the wake of the pandemic.

4. Recovery schemes

Many fraud victims will want to take whatever action possible to recover lost funds.

To exploit this, offenders will trade the details of victims with each other. They will then pose as authorities (often law enforcement, banks or private agencies) who are aware of the victim’s circumstances and promote their ability to regain the missing funds for a fee.

In this way, victims who are desperate to recover losses are manipulated into paying even more money to offenders.

5. Remote access schemes

Receiving a phone call from a computer technician advising of a problem with your computer and offering to fix it is a common experience for many. While this approach isn’t new, it made a strong resurgence in 2022 – particularly targeting older people.

These scam calls often come through landlines and prey on people’s fear for the security of their bank details and other personal data. The fraudsters often invoke a sense of urgency about needing to rectify the “problem”, and victims are persuaded to give the offender remote access to their computer.

The criminal can then access a wealth of personal information. They can gain direct entry to bank accounts to transfer funds, and can access identity credentials and other sensitive details to commit identity crime in the future.

Change is needed to protect the public​

The threat of fraud will only increase alongside technological evolution. Experts are concerned about artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and image and video generators giving cybercriminals yet another tool to add to their arsenal.

The latest Scamwatch report is further evidence banks and financial institutions need to implement measures to help reduce fraud losses; among these, the checking of account names against BSB numbers for all transactions. The UK has a confirmation-of-payee policy that does this.

The government is attempting to address the continued surge in fraud losses through the revision of its cybersecurity strategy and the potential establishment of a National Anti-Scams Centre.

These are both positive steps but it’s clear there’s a need for more work to be done.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by Cassandra Cross, Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching) Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, Queensland University of Technology

 

[Dougal]

Australians lost more than $3bn to scammers in 2022. Here are 5 emerging scams to look out for​

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest Targeting Scams report indicates Australians reported more than A$3 billion lost to fraud in 2022. This is about a $1 billion increase on reported losses from 2021.

Year upon year, we’re witnessing a rise in monetary losses to fraud. Behind these figures sit millions of Australians who experience a range of financial and non-financial harms.

Here’s what we’ve learned from the latest report – and some advice on what to look out for in the year ahead.

2022 at a glance​

Of the reported $3 billion lost, about half was stolen as part of investment schemes – more than double the $701 million figure from 2021. A desire to invest in cryptocurrency has driven up these losses, with potential investors inadvertently transferring money to offenders advertising a range of falsehoods.

Remote access schemes – in which a scammer convinces the victim to grant them access to their computer – jumped into second place, with $229 million in reported losses. This was followed by payment redirection scams (also known as business email compromise fraud).

Those who reported directly to Scamwatch lost an average of $19,654 – an increase of 54% from the $12,742 reported in 2021.

The report also shows not all victims are targeted equally; people aged 65 years and older reported the highest losses across all demographics. Indigenous Australians, people with a disability, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds were also overrepresented.

For the first time in many years, text message was the most popular method for offenders to target victims. And while bank transfers were the most popular way to send funds to offenders, cryptocurrency transfers continue to increase in popularity – rising 162.4% in one year.

View attachment 17949
Scammers are always looking for new ways to deceive people, and this often involves trying to build rapport. Michael Lucy​

There was, however, a reduction in fraudulent phone calls. This is likely attributable to the introduction of regulatory action to block known scam calls. It’s a bright spot in an otherwise dark report.

Trends to look out for​

The Targeting Scams report demonstrates the many ways offenders seek to defraud victims. On one hand, people are becoming more aware of common scam tactics. On the other, criminals are adjusting their methods to gain the upper hand.

Here are five types of relatively lesser-known frauds everyone should be aware of.

1. Romance baiting

Also known as “cryptorom” or “pig butchering”, this scam is a convergence of investment fraud and traditional romance fraud approaches.

The offender first initiates a relationship with the victim – through dating apps, websites or social media platforms. Once they’ve established trust, they encourage the victim to put their money into an “investment” opportunity, often cryptocurrency. The victim will then unknowingly transfer their money to the offender, who is under a different guise.

This kind of romance baiting raises fewer red flags than directly asking for money, and is targeting a younger demographic compared to more traditional romance fraud.

Such deceptions are coded under investment schemes. This is likely driving the surge in investment scheme losses reported in recent years, while also accounting for a lack of substantial increases in romance fraud.

2. Online shopping fraud

Offenders are skilled at creating fake websites and product advertisements that look genuine.

Often these fake sites will have only subtle differences from their real counterparts. Consumers may not be able to tell the difference. Criminals can directly access funds through victims’ credit card details obtained on these sites.

Online shopping fraud targets a range of demographics. It’s happening on stand-alone websites, social media platforms and online marketplaces.

3. Jobs and employment fraud

Research has indicated that working from home and flexible working conditions are strong indicators of a fraudulent job listing.

But in a post-COVID world, flexibility at work is often a key criterion for job seekers, if not a deal-breaker. Offenders have noticed this, and are responding by posting attractive job advertisements that offer flexibility and high incomes.

Victims submit their CVs and personal credentials (setting themselves up for identity crime), or may be required to pay upfront for training or materials costs for a job that doesn’t exist.

Employment scams are targeting younger people in particular, as they’re more likely to have experienced job loss and insecurity in the wake of the pandemic.

4. Recovery schemes

Many fraud victims will want to take whatever action possible to recover lost funds.

To exploit this, offenders will trade the details of victims with each other. They will then pose as authorities (often law enforcement, banks or private agencies) who are aware of the victim’s circumstances and promote their ability to regain the missing funds for a fee.

In this way, victims who are desperate to recover losses are manipulated into paying even more money to offenders.

5. Remote access schemes

Receiving a phone call from a computer technician advising of a problem with your computer and offering to fix it is a common experience for many. While this approach isn’t new, it made a strong resurgence in 2022 – particularly targeting older people.

These scam calls often come through landlines and prey on people’s fear for the security of their bank details and other personal data. The fraudsters often invoke a sense of urgency about needing to rectify the “problem”, and victims are persuaded to give the offender remote access to their computer.

The criminal can then access a wealth of personal information. They can gain direct entry to bank accounts to transfer funds, and can access identity credentials and other sensitive details to commit identity crime in the future.

Change is needed to protect the public​

The threat of fraud will only increase alongside technological evolution. Experts are concerned about artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and image and video generators giving cybercriminals yet another tool to add to their arsenal.

The latest Scamwatch report is further evidence banks and financial institutions need to implement measures to help reduce fraud losses; among these, the checking of account names against BSB numbers for all transactions. The UK has a confirmation-of-payee policy that does this.

The government is attempting to address the continued surge in fraud losses through the revision of its cybersecurity strategy and the potential establishment of a National Anti-Scams Centre.

These are both positive steps but it’s clear there’s a need for more work to be done.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by Cassandra Cross, Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching) Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, Queensland University of Technology

Next time you get a call supposedly from Telstra, NBN wi-fi,
Microsoft, etc about your faulty internet; use the “Hermann
Gruntfuttock” defence;

“What?” I hear you say.

One day the phone rang; silence.

When the silence goes on for a while you know it’s an Indian
call centre’s autodial system which automatically dials phone
numbers in sequence until it detects a human voice, then it
transfers the call to the team of scammers.

Sure enough a very Indian voice asking me how I am, to which
I replied by asking "why are you calling me?"

“I’m from Telstra” she said, “We have detected a fault in your
internet, so are ready now to fix it for you” to which I replied,
“Are you looking at my account at the moment?”

“Yes“ was the reply, following which I said “I’ll advise you of my
name to make sure it is my account you’re looking at”

Then I said “My name is Hermann Gruntfuttock, that’s Hermann
with two n’s; is that my account you’re calling about?”

“Yes” was her reply, followed by me saying “Bye bye”

The other day I received yet another call supposedly from Telstra;
so just in case they had recorded Hermann Gruntfuttock as a dud,
I used a different name.

My name is Norbert Goosecreature I said.

Did it work? ……………….Yes!

I’ll now need to come up with a new idiotic alias; got a suggestion?

 

[VickieCheryl]

Next time you get a call supposedly from Telstra, NBN wi-fi,
Microsoft, etc about your faulty internet; use the “Hermann
Gruntfuttock” defence;

“What?” I hear you say.

One day the phone rang; silence.

When the silence goes on for a while you know it’s an Indian
call centre’s autodial system which automatically dials phone
numbers in sequence until it detects a human voice, then it
transfers the call to the team of scammers.

Sure enough a very Indian voice asking me how I am, to which
I replied by asking "why are you calling me?"

“I’m from Telstra” she said, “We have detected a fault in your
internet, so are ready now to fix it for you” to which I replied,
“Are you looking at my account at the moment?”

“Yes“ was the reply, following which I said “I’ll advise you of my
name to make sure it is my account you’re looking at”

Then I said “My name is Hermann Gruntfuttock, that’s Hermann
with two n’s; is that my account you’re calling about?”

“Yes” was her reply, followed by me saying “Bye bye”

The other day I received yet another call supposedly from Telstra;
so just in case they had recorded Hermann Gruntfuttock as a dud,
I used a different name.

My name is Norbert Goosecreature I said.

Did it work? ……………….Yes!

I’ll now need to come up with a new idiotic alias; got a suggestion?

If I don’t trust emails I forward it tell it to load full message so you can see who sent it then delete the draft. If it’s a scam I report it and block the sender

 

[Ashmenou]

I never answer the call. I report it and block it

 

[Wendy]

I had a phone call this morning saying they were from Visa and my account had been accessed and $399 spent on a purchase from EBay - 1. I don't have a visa account 2. I haven't bought anything from EBay. I hung up

 

[Barbara V]

Had a new phone call today from plus 700 adamant that I had signed up to their company to invest online. This is something I would never do but they kept going on and on that I had signed on for investment.I hung up then rang the number out of curiosity number not obtainable( 0863758923 ) This has happened many times that the number they have does not exist

 

[Gsr]

Anytime a non English person rings me about internet etc I say, sorry I can’t understand you and hang up. Then I ignore the next call as they invariably try again. I block all suspicious call numbers on my mobile.

 

[67for12]

Personally, I love scam calls, one lady rang recently eventually i got out of her that she was calling from Perth and she was a permanent resident, I replied, grat then you can tell me the capital city of South Australia, she went off her nut, I kept interrupting her by saying you are calling from London, no no, she said so I had a bit more fun I said the capital city of S.A is Sydney, she yes that's right, I said so where is Perth located , she said near Darwin. Click went the phone. Another one a guy rang me and I kept him talking and I said do you mind if I ask you a question, he said yes sir, I said do you know what telephone triangulation is? H e said No, I said well the authorites here are tracking your call now, if you are near aa window look outside if there are two strange men that you have never seen before, I would pack up in a hurry and leave no trace. The phone goes dead. I have many many more. What they don't like is when they try to explain the rubbish that they try to scam, laugh out laugh really loudly, it really cheeses them off. You have insulted them. OR push the red button based on the theory, if in doubt, throw it out.

 

[Kelpie]

Next time you get a call supposedly from Telstra, NBN wi-fi,
Microsoft, etc about your faulty internet; use the “Hermann
Gruntfuttock” defence;

“What?” I hear you say.

One day the phone rang; silence.

When the silence goes on for a while you know it’s an Indian
call centre’s autodial system which automatically dials phone
numbers in sequence until it detects a human voice, then it
transfers the call to the team of scammers.

Sure enough a very Indian voice asking me how I am, to which
I replied by asking "why are you calling me?"

“I’m from Telstra” she said, “We have detected a fault in your
internet, so are ready now to fix it for you” to which I replied,
“Are you looking at my account at the moment?”

“Yes“ was the reply, following which I said “I’ll advise you of my
name to make sure it is my account you’re looking at”

Then I said “My name is Hermann Gruntfuttock, that’s Hermann
with two n’s; is that my account you’re calling about?”

“Yes” was her reply, followed by me saying “Bye bye”

The other day I received yet another call supposedly from Telstra;
so just in case they had recorded Hermann Gruntfuttock as a dud,
I used a different name.

My name is Norbert Goosecreature I said.

Did it work? ……………….Yes!

I’ll now need to come up with a new idiotic alias; got a suggestion?

I will just tell that person that ring me claiming he/she is from Telstra or someone trying to sell me some Solar panel, kindly........ "Why would such a nice person like you waste your valuable time ringing me, and why don't you go and get a proper [paying job" and guess what..... they will hang up themselves NOT ME.

 

[Thecheesequeen]

I simply don’t answer the phone when I don’t recognise the number. The answering machine picks up and they never get to speak to me at all.

 

[888D.C888]

I shopped at my local Woolworths supermarket in country Victoria on 17th April.

There was a guy sitting on tables at each entrance from Peter Mac the Cancer hospital. The fellow at the entrance I went in communicated to me as I walked past & I said hello back & before I knew it he had engrossed me in conversing with him.
I decided to give a donation as he said he only wanted my name & phone number & I thought he said they would call me.
Anyway then he wants my date of birth, credit card or bank account details and my address! CRICKEY! I told him I am not going to give him all my personal details. That I don't mind giving him my name & phone number & them ringing me. Then he says they don't dont ring for donations anymore & they now do face to face because you never know who you are talking to over the phone! I told him that he may well represent Peter Mac but he is a complete stranger & I would tell all my family never to give all your personal details to anyone, so I am not going to break my own principle.
Then he says 'Do you think I would be sitting out here in the cold for nothing, I am doing it for a good cause & you know it is & I have a name tag" Shows me his nametag & the photo is not him! He was a black guy from Sudan & the guy on his ID was white! Then he acknowleged that it was not his ID. I gave him back his 'free gift' of a key chain & told him I will donate on my terms in my own way. I advised him once again that they ought not to be asking people for all of their personal details, as it is too high risk for ID theft and personal safety. Unbelievable!
He then told me that all of my personal details that I had given him would be wiped from his computer! I get home and vet an SMS from them thanking me and providing my with a mobile number to call. I never bothered to call it.

I contacted the non-urgent police number the following day & they agreed with me about my conerns regarding ID theft as well as personal safety risk. They gave me a number to call the Peter Mac Cancer Institute to register my complaint. So I called them and they also agreed about my concerns and advised that they would submit my complaint.

You just have to be so very careful these days!

 

[Shane/#]

Australians lost more than $3bn to scammers in 2022. Here are 5 emerging scams to look out for​

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest Targeting Scams report indicates Australians reported more than A$3 billion lost to fraud in 2022. This is about a $1 billion increase on reported losses from 2021.

Year upon year, we’re witnessing a rise in monetary losses to fraud. Behind these figures sit millions of Australians who experience a range of financial and non-financial harms.

Here’s what we’ve learned from the latest report – and some advice on what to look out for in the year ahead.

2022 at a glance​

Of the reported $3 billion lost, about half was stolen as part of investment schemes – more than double the $701 million figure from 2021. A desire to invest in cryptocurrency has driven up these losses, with potential investors inadvertently transferring money to offenders advertising a range of falsehoods.

Remote access schemes – in which a scammer convinces the victim to grant them access to their computer – jumped into second place, with $229 million in reported losses. This was followed by payment redirection scams (also known as business email compromise fraud).

Those who reported directly to Scamwatch lost an average of $19,654 – an increase of 54% from the $12,742 reported in 2021.

The report also shows not all victims are targeted equally; people aged 65 years and older reported the highest losses across all demographics. Indigenous Australians, people with a disability, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds were also overrepresented.

For the first time in many years, text message was the most popular method for offenders to target victims. And while bank transfers were the most popular way to send funds to offenders, cryptocurrency transfers continue to increase in popularity – rising 162.4% in one year.

View attachment 17949
Scammers are always looking for new ways to deceive people, and this often involves trying to build rapport. Michael Lucy​

There was, however, a reduction in fraudulent phone calls. This is likely attributable to the introduction of regulatory action to block known scam calls. It’s a bright spot in an otherwise dark report.

Trends to look out for​

The Targeting Scams report demonstrates the many ways offenders seek to defraud victims. On one hand, people are becoming more aware of common scam tactics. On the other, criminals are adjusting their methods to gain the upper hand.

Here are five types of relatively lesser-known frauds everyone should be aware of.

1. Romance baiting

Also known as “cryptorom” or “pig butchering”, this scam is a convergence of investment fraud and traditional romance fraud approaches.

The offender first initiates a relationship with the victim – through dating apps, websites or social media platforms. Once they’ve established trust, they encourage the victim to put their money into an “investment” opportunity, often cryptocurrency. The victim will then unknowingly transfer their money to the offender, who is under a different guise.

This kind of romance baiting raises fewer red flags than directly asking for money, and is targeting a younger demographic compared to more traditional romance fraud.

Such deceptions are coded under investment schemes. This is likely driving the surge in investment scheme losses reported in recent years, while also accounting for a lack of substantial increases in romance fraud.

2. Online shopping fraud

Offenders are skilled at creating fake websites and product advertisements that look genuine.

Often these fake sites will have only subtle differences from their real counterparts. Consumers may not be able to tell the difference. Criminals can directly access funds through victims’ credit card details obtained on these sites.

Online shopping fraud targets a range of demographics. It’s happening on stand-alone websites, social media platforms and online marketplaces.

3. Jobs and employment fraud

Research has indicated that working from home and flexible working conditions are strong indicators of a fraudulent job listing.

But in a post-COVID world, flexibility at work is often a key criterion for job seekers, if not a deal-breaker. Offenders have noticed this, and are responding by posting attractive job advertisements that offer flexibility and high incomes.

Victims submit their CVs and personal credentials (setting themselves up for identity crime), or may be required to pay upfront for training or materials costs for a job that doesn’t exist.

Employment scams are targeting younger people in particular, as they’re more likely to have experienced job loss and insecurity in the wake of the pandemic.

4. Recovery schemes

Many fraud victims will want to take whatever action possible to recover lost funds.

To exploit this, offenders will trade the details of victims with each other. They will then pose as authorities (often law enforcement, banks or private agencies) who are aware of the victim’s circumstances and promote their ability to regain the missing funds for a fee.

In this way, victims who are desperate to recover losses are manipulated into paying even more money to offenders.

5. Remote access schemes

Receiving a phone call from a computer technician advising of a problem with your computer and offering to fix it is a common experience for many. While this approach isn’t new, it made a strong resurgence in 2022 – particularly targeting older people.

These scam calls often come through landlines and prey on people’s fear for the security of their bank details and other personal data. The fraudsters often invoke a sense of urgency about needing to rectify the “problem”, and victims are persuaded to give the offender remote access to their computer.

The criminal can then access a wealth of personal information. They can gain direct entry to bank accounts to transfer funds, and can access identity credentials and other sensitive details to commit identity crime in the future.

Change is needed to protect the public​

The threat of fraud will only increase alongside technological evolution. Experts are concerned about artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and image and video generators giving cybercriminals yet another tool to add to their arsenal.

The latest Scamwatch report is further evidence banks and financial institutions need to implement measures to help reduce fraud losses; among these, the checking of account names against BSB numbers for all transactions. The UK has a confirmation-of-payee policy that does this.

The government is attempting to address the continued surge in fraud losses through the revision of its cybersecurity strategy and the potential establishment of a National Anti-Scams Centre.

These are both positive steps but it’s clear there’s a need for more work to be done.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by Cassandra Cross, Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching) Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, Queensland University of Technology

Got a spam notification on my phone and it tells me if it's a potential fraud I let it ring goes to message bank they don't leave a message then block them and text messages from bank's etc which I haven't not got an account

 

[Macarj]

There are guys on youtube who can track these scammers and some have even sent the police around to where they are and they arrest them so why the hell can't worlds Governments track them down and charge them

 

[Colette 3799]

I shopped at my local Woolworths supermarket in country Victoria on 17th April.

There was a guy sitting on tables at each entrance from Peter Mac the Cancer hospital. The fellow at the entrance I went in communicated to me as I walked past & I said hello back & before I knew it he had engrossed me in conversing with him.
I decided to give a donation as he said he only wanted my name & phone number & I thought he said they would call me.
Anyway then he wants my date of birth, credit card or bank account details and my address! CRICKEY! I told him I am not going to give him all my personal details. That I don't mind giving him my name & phone number & them ringing me. Then he says they don't dont ring for donations anymore & they now do face to face because you never know who you are talking to over the phone! I told him that he may well represent Peter Mac but he is a complete stranger & I would tell all my family never to give all your personal details to anyone, so I am not going to break my own principle.
Then he says 'Do you think I would be sitting out here in the cold for nothing, I am doing it for a good cause & you know it is & I have a name tag" Shows me his nametag & the photo is not him! He was a black guy from Sudan & the guy on his ID was white! Then he acknowleged that it was not his ID. I gave him back his 'free gift' of a key chain & told him I will donate on my terms in my own way. I advised him once again that they ought not to be asking people for all of their personal details, as it is too high risk for ID theft and personal safety. Unbelievable!
He then told me that all of my personal details that I had given him would be wiped from his computer! I get home and vet an SMS from them thanking me and providing my with a mobile number to call. I never bothered to call it.

I contacted the non-urgent police number the following day & they agreed with me about my conerns regarding ID theft as well as personal safety risk. They gave me a number to call the Peter Mac Cancer Institute to register my complaint. So I called them and they also agreed about my concerns and advised that they would submit my complaint.

You just have to be so very careful these days!

We had a ‘door knocker’ claiming to be from a breast cancer research company. My ever trusting husband came and got me. He wanted our card number to donate an amount every month. He had already given her his driving licence number! I went out and I said sorry but you are not getting our bank details and you need to delete my husband’s driving licence details right now. She got very angry with me and said she had ID. I said maybe you are legit but IDs are easy to forge and if you are who you say then i apologise but with all the scams I just don’t trust anyone anymore. She stormed off muttering “Each to their own”

 

[Yani]

Next time you get a call supposedly from Telstra, NBN wi-fi,
Microsoft, etc about your faulty internet; use the “Hermann
Gruntfuttock” defence;

“What?” I hear you say.

One day the phone rang; silence.

When the silence goes on for a while you know it’s an Indian
call centre’s autodial system which automatically dials phone
numbers in sequence until it detects a human voice, then it
transfers the call to the team of scammers.

Sure enough a very Indian voice asking me how I am, to which
I replied by asking "why are you calling me?"

“I’m from Telstra” she said, “We have detected a fault in your
internet, so are ready now to fix it for you” to which I replied,
“Are you looking at my account at the moment?”

“Yes“ was the reply, following which I said “I’ll advise you of my
name to make sure it is my account you’re looking at”

Then I said “My name is Hermann Gruntfuttock, that’s Hermann
with two n’s; is that my account you’re calling about?”

“Yes” was her reply, followed by me saying “Bye bye”

The other day I received yet another call supposedly from Telstra;
so just in case they had recorded Hermann Gruntfuttock as a dud,
I used a different name.

My name is Norbert Goosecreature I said.

Did it work? ……………….Yes!

I’ll now need to come up with a new idiotic alias; got a suggestion?

Try Hugh Jarse

 

[Yani]

Next time you get a call supposedly from Telstra, NBN wi-fi,
Microsoft, etc about your faulty internet; use the “Hermann
Gruntfuttock” defence;

“What?” I hear you say.

One day the phone rang; silence.

When the silence goes on for a while you know it’s an Indian
call centre’s autodial system which automatically dials phone
numbers in sequence until it detects a human voice, then it
transfers the call to the team of scammers.

Sure enough a very Indian voice asking me how I am, to which
I replied by asking "why are you calling me?"

“I’m from Telstra” she said, “We have detected a fault in your
internet, so are ready now to fix it for you” to which I replied,
“Are you looking at my account at the moment?”

“Yes“ was the reply, following which I said “I’ll advise you of my
name to make sure it is my account you’re looking at”

Then I said “My name is Hermann Gruntfuttock, that’s Hermann
with two n’s; is that my account you’re calling about?”

“Yes” was her reply, followed by me saying “Bye bye”

The other day I received yet another call supposedly from Telstra;
so just in case they had recorded Hermann Gruntfuttock as a dud,
I used a different name.

My name is Norbert Goosecreature I said.

Did it work? ……………….Yes!

I’ll now need to come up with a new idiotic alias; got a suggestion?

Try the name Hugh Jarse

 

[DrivingGirl]

I save myself a lot of trouble by silencing all numbers that call me that don’t appear in my contact list. I see the call and block the number and delete it. Simple and not annoying and I don’t have to speak to anyone.
I tell people in my voicemail that they need to leave a message if they want me to call back and very few of them do.

 

[Colette 3799]

I save myself a lot of trouble by silencing all numbers that call me that don’t appear in my contact list. I see the call and block the number and delete it. Simple and not annoying and I don’t have to speak to anyone.
I tell people in my voicemail that they need to leave a message if they want me to call back and very few of them do.

I tried that but ended up missing an important call from the hospital. On the whole I don’t answer numbers I dont know, which works for me. If I’m expecting a call I will pick up but I don’t speak till they do and like I’ve said before, you can usually spot the scam call cos they usually hang up after two or three rings

 

[terri]

The authorities in some of these places where the scam originates are taking kickbacks. They dont want this lucrative industry to stop as they are doing quite well out of our naievity. We need the proper businesses and governments to do more. They can but they dont. Until then, these scammers will continue and will be one step ahead with new scams to catch us out.

 

[twigg3564]

I had a phone call this morning saying they were from Visa and my account had been accessed and $399 spent on a purchase from EBay - 1. I don't have a visa account 2. I haven't bought anything from EBay. I hung up

Recently I was contacted by my bank about 3 suspicious activities on my debit Mastercard. I visited my local branch and they confirmed the contact as genuine. Turned out 2 of the transactions were for a dating sites and the third from a port sites. I am eighty years old and happily married for 50 years. Luckily the bank had blocked the said transactions so no money was exchanged however they had to cancel my card and issue a new one. I have no idea how my card details were accessed.