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Mum issues URGENT warning about new, sophisticated Optus scam - ‘They knew my details.’
No one ever expects to fall for a scam until they find themselves at the receiving end of the heinous crime. So it’s always best to be wary of calls, texts, and emails you receive along with the personal details that you share with others.
A mum-of-four, Eliza Nixon, claimed that someone pretending to be an Optus employee contacted her to offer a 70 per cent discount on her phone bill over the next three months for being a ‘loyal customer’. But what happened after left her horrified.
Sharing the details of her case in a TikTok video, the mum admitted that she was ‘fairly distracted’ with her twin babies during the call so she didn’t pay enough attention to its validity.
Initially, Eliza said that the incident didn’t set any alarm bells ringing as she had just spoken to her phone provider a few days before about upgrading her plan.
Do NOT share your personal details with anyone. Source: iStock
‘I had also just been in contact with Optus a week prior to upgrade my plan and obtain pricing info, so it seemed like the call could have been related to this.’ she explained.
But as soon as she hung up the phone, she had a terrible hunch that something wasn’t right.
‘As soon as the conversation ended, I felt suspicious and attempted to log into my Optus account but the password was not working.’
Even though she never disclosed her personal details, the fraudster already knew Eliza’s full name, home address, date of birth, and email address.
'During the phone conversation. I was sceptical,’ she said.
‘But I was waiting for them to ask me for my details or banking information, which would easily give away that it may be a scam.’
'But the thing is – they didn’t ask me to provide any of my details. Instead, they confirmed a lot of details with me, such as: “Confirming this is your first and last name, address, phone number and date of birth”.’
'The scammers already had all of my details and the only information I gave them was the ‘one-time password’ which they claimed to send to me. They asked me to repeat it to them.'
‘They said: “We’ve got everything to set up this discount for you... In the meantime, we’re going to send you your one-time password. You just need to repeat the password back to us so we can confirm that you are who you say you are”.’
‘So I did that, I gave them the password and they said: “Yep, that’s all good! You’ll get an email confirmation and the discount will start in the next month”.’
Eliza warned others about the Optus scam on TikTok. Source: @thetwixons
Little did she know, the cybercriminal was attempting to use the authentication code to change her passwords and personal details in her phone account.
‘The scammers were attempting to hack into my account and, by default, set off the verification code. They were clever enough to warn me that it was coming and obtained access to my account from me.’ Eliza said.
When she reached out to Optus, her worst fears came true. She was told that no one from the company had contacted her.
‘They helped me change my email and password details straight away.’
Luckily, Eliza was able to prevent the scammers from accessing her account again.
‘From my understanding, the scammers may have been trying to order iPhones and tablets under my account details to have them sent to a different address. The bill will then be charged to my name, leaving me with thousands of dollars out of my pocket.’ she detailed.
Eliza said that she couldn’t believe how she fell for the scam without even realising it as she always goes out of her way to be extra cautious.
‘I wanted to highlight this particular scam and how even the most sceptical person can be caught off guard at the wrong place and time.’
After the terrifying encounter, Eliza immediately changed all of the passwords that were linked to the email address that the fraudster got a hold of.
The fraudster knew Eliza’s personal details. Source: Unsplash
Eliza’s TikTok video amassed over 355k views, with thousands of users flocking to the comments to share their thoughts.
‘Confirming is a bad sign. The company/organisation needs to authenticate you before giving out any information, otherwise, it is a breach of privacy.’ one user advised.
‘Always say that you will call them back and then verify online if it’s actually the company’s number. Never just hand over details to someone who called you.’ another chimed.
‘Sadly in today's world, we need to treat every call as a scam to safeguard ourselves.’ a third pointed out, while a fourth added: ‘It’s so scary how they had all that information!’
An Optus spokesperson touched on Eliza’s case, saying: ‘Optus takes customer security and data very seriously.’
‘Optus has strict customer identification processes in place to ensure that customers identify themselves when they engage with our retail or service team about their accounts. Customers requesting any changes to services must be able to identify themselves before any actions are taken on behalf of the customer.’
Source: @thetwixons
In stores, this identification can be done using a government-approved ID such as a driver’s licence. But for services provided online or over the phone, customers are required to validate their identity by providing personal details.
‘For high-risk transactions, Optus implements multifactor identification checks.’ the Optus spokesperson continued.
‘These identification requests may escalate to further verification checks, including the requirement to complete an in-store identity check or escalate the request with further verification checks.’
‘We encourage customers to be vigilant about the security of their personal information by regularly changing their passwords, not re-using passwords and being wary of sharing their personal details.’
If you ever come across a scam, we highly recommend you report it to Scamwatch as soon as possible. You may also learn where you can get help by clicking here.
What are your thoughts on Eliza’s experience? What are some of the things that you do to protect yourself from scammers? Share your tips with us in the comments!