National Scams Awareness Week is an annual awareness-raising week run by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. This year, they’re urging Australians to be on the lookout for threat-based impersonation scams by taking a moment to ask – ‘Is this for real?’

Scams target everyone, it can happen at home and it can happen at work too!

Scams succeed because they look like the real thing and are designed to catch you off guard when you’re not expecting it. Scammers are getting smarter and taking advantage of new technology, new products or services and major events to create believable stories that will convince you to give them your passwords, money or personal details. 

Some statistics from Scamwatch:

• Number of reports in 2017 – 161,528
• Reports with financial losses – 8.7%
• Amount lost – $90,928,622.00

Top 10 Scams by reports

How can you protect yourself?

 If you’re contacted unexpectedly and threatened by someone who says they’re from a government agency or trusted business, always consider the possibility that it may be a scam – then stop and ask – ‘Is this for real?’ If you’re unsure whether a call or email is genuine, verify the identity of the contact through an independent source, such as a phone book or online search. Don’t use the contact details provided by the caller or in the message they sent to you. If you’re still unsure, speak to a trusted friend or family member about what has happened. Never send money or give your bank account details, credit card details or other personal information to anyone you don’t know or trust. A government agency or trusted business will never ask you to pay by unusual methods such as with gift or store cards, iTunes cards, wire transfers or bitcoin. Don’t open suspicious texts, pop-up windows or emails and don’t click on links or open attachments – just delete them. Never give anyone remote access to your computer if they’ve contacted you out of the blue – whether through a phone call, pop up window or email – and even if they claim to be from a well-known company like Telstra.

What do you do if you think you’ve been scammed?

If you’ve received an email or phone call at work, call the IT Service Desk for help on ext 5000 or via our IT Service Portal at https://une.service-now.com

If you’ve sent money or shared your banking or credit card details, contact your bank immediately. They may be able to stop or reverse a transaction, or close your account. If you’ve given your personal information to a scammer, visit IDCARE, Australia’s not-for-profit national identity and cyber support service. Scammers are often based overseas, so it’s extremely difficult to track them down or to take action against them. So take the time to warn your friends and family about these scams.

Sourced from content provided by StaySmartOnline and the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission’s Scamwatch.