Stay secure this Christmas: Beware of phone and ‘tech support’ scams this holiday season

Members are advised to beware of current fraudulent scams that are in operation.

This latest phone scam is simply a variation of previous phone scams offering to help consumers reclaim bank fees, obtain Australian Tax Office refunds or other government rebates in return for up-front fees.

In addition to these, there are the ongoing ‘tech support’ scams, where the caller pretends to be from Microsoft, Telstra, Big Pond etc, wanting access to your computer. They often instruct you to log on to a website that allows them to connect remotely to your computer – supposedly to help with a problem like a virus or upgrading software. As a result, we are aware of ‘tech support’ scam victims that have had their bank accounts compromised.

If you receive an unexpected phone call and the caller says they are from a government agency, official organisation or reputable company, don’t trust that they are who they say they are.

If a cold caller requests personal or financial details, or payment of any kind, bring the conversation to an end by getting their name and number, and advise that you will check with the organisation before disclosing your secure information or committing to anything.

Next, follow these steps to verify if the phone call you have received is authentic:

• Independently source the government department or company's contact details from the phone book, their official website, your last statement or letter from them.
• DO NOT use contact details provided by the caller because if it is a scam you are simply calling the scammers' chosen number so that they can answer how they choose e.g. “Hello Federal Government, Canberra."
• Call the organisation directly to ask if the call was genuine.
• Check the Scam Watch website www.scamwatch.gov.au for warnings or other information.

Phone scam prevention tips:

• NEVER confirm or provide personal details, credit card numbers or other account information over the phone unless you initiated the call and can verify the purpose for which you are providing that information.
• DO NOT pay up-front fees to receive money in return (ask for it be deducted from what you are owed instead) and know that Australian Government agencies and official organisations do not use wire transfer as a payment method.
• SAY NO and hang up if a cold caller wants remote access to your computer even if they claim to be from a reputable IT or telecommunications company.

Learn more about how we protect you online.