community, scamwatch, scam, con, fraud, column, information
The year has seen a fresh start for fraudsters and scam artists, seeing another spike in COVID-19 scams and text-based cons. Australian Community Media has compiled a list of current scams identified on sites such as scamwatch.gov.au, cyber.gov.au and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s website dedicated to informing people about fraudulent and dishonest activities. If you have been the victim of a scam report it to scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam. Scamwatch has received over 6415 scam reports related to the coronavirus with more than 9 million dollars in losses since the initial outbreak. With vaccines and RATs in short supply in areas around Australia, some scam artists are taking the opportunity to ask for payment in exchange for early access to vaccines or tests. Many scams rely on getting you to click fraudulent links, and will impersonate government agencies or trustworthy groups to convince you to click the link. Fake texts that appear to be sent from a government agency can try and persuade you to give your personal information to fraudsters. If it seems a government group wants you to check or input information on a website, access the website from a separate browser. Don’t click the link sent, and never share personal or financial information over the phone. Just hang up. Scam artists can and will often target emotional triggers such as loneliness or passion to get you to provide money,…
