As the saying goes, ‘if it’s too good to be true, it probably is’.
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A number of scams are circulating the internet at the moment and police from the Hume Local Area Command have reminded residents to be aware of cyber crime.
Police have seen an increase in fraud related incidents for both Telstra and Optus customers in which additional mobiles are being registered and activated under existing accounts.
False technicians are also requesting iTunes vouchers to complete virus fixes on personal computers.
In 2017, the ACCC’s Scamwatch site has received more than 51,000 reports of scammers trying to con people online. Online scam losses total nearly $37 million so far in 2017, with people aged 45 to 54 most likely to lose money.
The NSW Police Force has some handy tips on how to detect fraudulent emails:
- Generic greetings- most legitimate companies will include a customer’s name in an email
- Spelling mistakes- watch out for poorly written emails, including spelling or grammatical errors
- Links to verification- Links that say things like ‘verify my account’ could lead to phishing sites.
When it comes to scams, it’s often hard to tell if it is real or not. Hume Local Area Command Acting Superintendent Chad Gillies has reminded residents not to proceed unless they are sure.
“We ask that people take steps to verify information before they hand out their personal details,” he said.
“We also ask that everyone in the community work on the principle that if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”
Superintendent Gillies said people needed to be aware of the growing cyber crime trends.
“It is a growing concern for the community and we encourage people to contact their local police or Crime Stoppers if they suspect a scam,” he said.
To find out more about different scams, visit https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/.