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Warning for Aussies: scammers pretending to be a relative via text
Cybercriminals are always coming up with new ways to deceive hard-working Australians out of their money. One of their latest tactics has been divulged by a savvy woman… But it could catch anyone off guard if they’re not careful.
In a popular Facebook group, Amee shared a screenshot of the unusual text she received while eating dinner on Tuesday night, which at first glance, looked like a call for help from her dad.
‘I’m at Woolworths right now, but I brought the wrong card with me.’ the text message read. ‘Can you please send me $150? I will pay you back today.’
A set of Westpac bank details were then included in the text message.
A new type of text scam has been making the rounds. Source: ABC
But Amee had a strong gut feeling that something wasn’t right.
‘I just got this text tonight. Don’t fall for it.’ Amee captioned her Facebook post.
‘I called my dad instantly just to make sure he wasn’t in a legitimate financial emergency, but it didn’t come from his number at all.’
‘My dad would ring me if he ever needed money, never text. Whenever he does ask me to do anything via text, he usually starts with a greeting and has compassion in his request.’
She also pointed out that the account details looked ‘odd’ and that she couldn't reply to the text message.
But what’s especially shocking about this latest scam is how it appears to come from a contact of a loved one.
‘I don't understand how they were able to do this.’ Ms Walker said. ‘It's like the text reminders or updates you get from a company with the company name as the contact details.’
Ms Walker shared a screenshot of the text message she received. Source: Yahoo! News
Amee then advised: ‘Call the actual person on your contact list BEFORE sending money.’
A Cyber Security Expert, Dr Suelette Dreyfus, explained that the sophisticated trick to make it seem like the message was coming from her dad was quite ‘easy to do’ and described it as a ‘clever little attack’.
‘There are plenty of services and apps that will let you send a message to anyone in a way where it would seem like it came from a contact saved on their phone.’ she said.
‘You can even set up your service.’
She also praised Amee for making the right move.
‘I think calling her dad was the right response. She was able to protect herself from losing $150 quite wisely.’ Ms Dreyfus said.
‘It is possible that this scam is being run by what could be “Optus data breach scavengers”.’ she theorised, referring to the heartless criminals running scams to exploit Optus customers in the wake of last week's data breach.
‘They’re not going to get a $1M ransom with one swoop, but they might get tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars over time in small bits from many people who get fooled by this scam.’
‘It’s easy to set up this scam. It’s somewhat clever as the fraudsters are using a highly personalised approach with a phone number that you trust – so it is likely to dupe a lot of innocent people.’ she continued.
How to protect yourself
Ms Dreyfus advised that it's important to think about the tone of the message and whether your loved one would send something like that, just as Ms Walker had pointed out.
‘Be attuned to subtle nuances in the way the message is worded too. Most of us have unique styles of conversation with those we are close to.’ Ms Dreyfus detailed.
Pay attention to the tone of the message. Source: Venngage
‘Perhaps it's chatty or very succinct, or the trust level is so high you would never expect your dad to say “I’ll pay you back” – because he just would.’
‘Either way, call and check with them if the message is real, especially as more of your personal information may be out there than you think as a result of the data breach.’
Facebook users share similar experiences
Under Amee's post, some people claimed to have similar experiences.
‘I received the same text from my “mum”, who was apparently at Coles and needed $170.’ one person said.
‘I got it last week too… The fact that we can’t reply is a good indication it’s a complete scam.’ another chimed.
Always be on the lookout for anything suspicious – whether it's a call, an email, or even a text message. If you ever receive a dodgy text message, report it to Scamwatch here.
What are your thoughts about this story? Have you ever received a similar text message? Let us know in the comments!
Learn more about what other gimmicks scammers use by watching the video below:
Source: ABC News (Australia)
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