How to Protect Yourself Against the Latest Online Scams in Australia

1. Impersonation

Impersonation scams are where the scammers pretend to be a person such as a relative or business such as bank. In this type of scam you may receive a SMS asking to reset a password with a fraudulent link or a relative asking for money for a sick family member.

Whenever you see such a message, the link in the message is always the giveaway and will usually have a very strange looking URL. When in doubt always delete the message.

International scammers have got quite sophisticated and can even mention long-lost relatives in other countries that need money for medical treatment.

These SMS messages or calls may come from legitimate looking numbers, but this is because the scammers use special software to “spoof” the numbers and make them look legit.

2. Phishing

Phishing refers to the concept of sending out millions of emails or SMS messages with the hope of tricking people into giving the scammers their personal or banking details.

A common example is receiving an email from your bank asking to reset your password due to a system upgrade. A lot of these emails look very legitimate, however the sending email address and URL link within the email will 100% giveaway that it’s a scam, as these emails can be sent from Gmail accounts, etc.

Other giveaways include bad spelling, poor grammar, missing branded logos. If you are not sure the email you received is legitimate, then reach out to our IT technicians on 131 546 they will be able to tell you straight away.

Other common types of phishing emails can come from scammers pretending to be a bank, Telstra, AGL, the ATO and other large organizations.

3. Recruitment Scams

This type of scam affects a lot of vulnerable Australians, aged between 25 and 45. These scams involved responding to job ads that advertising making money from leaving reviews, clicking on links or using app purchases.

Essentially anything that involves very little effort, and that is promoted to make a decent income.

Scammers will request some form of payment, and in return their promise they will guarantee you an income. They pretend to be hiring on behalf of high-profile companies and online shopping platforms and impersonate well-known recruitment agencies.

4. Extortion Scam

These type of scams involves scammers sending out hundreds of thousands of emails with your name and email address, explaining they have found you doing things of a sexual nature, and they have footage of this on your computer via the webcam.

They then demand a ransom paid via bitcoin within 7-10 days, otherwise they will release the footage.

This is quite a sick scam, as people get extremely upset, and the scammers have used the person’s real name and email address.

The is 100% a scam, and the way the scammers get the name and email address is from buying this data from the dark web from hacked websites.

So millions of people will receive this email, some are shocked, some people laugh.

As unsavory as this is, always just delete the message, and we recommend not re-using passwords on websites, and setting up 2FA on your accounts.

5. Investment Scam

These investment scams prey on people ‘greed glands’ and the desire to grow your wealth. These scams are ‘allegedly’ promoted by celebrities or by your social media friends and ask you to invest into a wealth-growth opportunity, such as Crypto Currency or Gold.

Most of these promotions are too good to be true, and are fabricated with false endorsements to persuade you into handing over money that you won’t see again

People fall for these scams, as they start imagining all the money they can make and how they can spend it.

Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Becoming rich overnight, by doing almost nothing – does not exist.

6. Romance Scam

A romance scam is where somebody online cultivates a romantic relationships with you, usually over many months. Over time they will ask for money transfers for a “sick” relative or foreign aid. They may even ask for money so they can come and visit you.

This scam can most commonly affects vulnerable and lonely senior citizens.

The most common sign of this scam, is being asked to send money overseas into somebody else’s bank account.

If you are unsure, ask family members, - but remember, if somebody reached out online to you, and struck up a friendship and then asks for money – this is always a scam.

This scammers will emotionally manipulate people and will have an answer for every question you have.  – stop communication ASAP.

7. Remote IT Support Scam

This scam has been very common and unfortunately is targeted to vulnerable seniors, especially seniors who have some sort of mental decline or memory issues.

The scammers call out of the blue, saying there is an issue with your Internet or NBN connection and you need to give them access to your computer so they can fix the issue.

The scammers then search the computer for internet banking passwords and then drain the victims bank account.

The scammers also buy millions of dollars of fake ads, which then take over your computer, pretending to be Microsoft with a fake 1800 number.

The 1800 number then gets routed to the scam call center, and the scammers go through the process to access your computer and find your banking details.

Scammers will ask you to download software such as Any Desk, or Team Viewer.

This is the same software that a legitimate Remote IT Support provider, such as Jim’s IT uses when fixing computer issues.

8. Advance Fee Scam

An advance fee scam, involves scammers asking for a pre-payment so they can release a larger sum of money to you. This is also known as a Nigerian scam.

The scammers will say the money is trapped in an account, and they need $500 USD to unlock the account.

They may also say that you are entitled to a share of a massive inheritance by a long lost king or queen of a strange country, and that special taxes have to be paid to release the funds.

How to Avoid Being Scammed

Here are some more tips to help avoid falling into these scams are:

• Be wary of spam emails, chain letters and persons purporting to be representatives of Government Departments, financial institutions or other businesses.
• Do not give your name, bank account details, copies of your passport, birth certificate or any other personal details or documents to anyone other than for legitimate purposes.
• If someone contacts you asking for personal information – this is always a scam.
• Be suspicious of any correspondence from overseas asking you to forward large sums of money or advising that you have won a prize.
• If someone blocks access to your computer or personal files, and then asks for a payment to remove that block, call Jim’s IT on 131 546 ASAP.