Incident One

Joan received a phone call, at a time when she was feeling overwhelmed by the number of bills she had, from a service that offered to pay her bills for her at a discounted rate. Joan’s friend had given this service her details and had used it herself.

Joan was a little suspicious but decided to try it out with one of her almost due bills. Joan provided the service with the details of the water bill and they immediately paid it. She even contacted SA Water and was able to confirm that her account had been paid.

Joan was very pleased and provided the service with her other outstanding bills, which were all duly paid off. Joan just had to go to the bank and put the discounted amount, in this case 80%, of the bill into an account provided by the service. This saved Joan a lot of money.

Almost a month later Joan received a stack of bills from her providers, all of which were overdue. She contacted them and was told that the payments had been made with a stolen credit card and the money refunded to the financial institutions. The credit card company executed a chargeback to the utility company, reversing payment of the settled bill using the stolen credit card.  The bills were then re-issued back to Joan and that's when she realised she was scammed. Joan was liable for bills and all overdue fees and had lost the money she paid to the service.

This scam, known as a “Bill Discount” scam is relatively new in South Australia.

Incident Two

In May 2020, a 40-year-old male received a phone call from his telecommunications provider. They informed him that because he had been a loyal customer, they could offer him a 30% discount on his bill. Interested in the discount, the male verified his identity by providing his personal details. Shortly after he received an SMS with a one-time code, which he read to the caller to approve the discount. It turns out the caller was not from his telco provider and was in fact a scammer. The scammer used the information provided to purchase a brand new phone, which he sent directly to himself.

SMS one-time PINs are used to verify that you are who you say that you are. This additional security feature works by sending a code to your phone, confirming that you have physical possession of the device. These codes usually relate to online interactions, so do not give this code to anyone, even someone asking for it over the phone.

To make a report visit cyber.gov.au

Find out more about how scam works from scamwatch.gov.au

Incident one

In April 2019 Rose from Morphett Vale received a phone call from an unknown number that showed an area code outside of South Australia. When Rose answered the phone a male informed her that he was a federal agent from the ATO and that she owed $1,000. The ‘agent’ told Rose she had less than an hour to clear this debt otherwise police would arrest her and that he had a warrant ready to go. He then told her to call her local station to confirm this information. The caller supplied Rose with the number for her local station (which was correct) after asking her what her local station was.

Whilst Rose was on the phone, she missed a call from a number that appeared to be from her local station - it showed the number and suburb where the station was located. She called the number back by pressing the call back button. Rose then listened to the automatic message that her local station plays before being put through to an officer. But Rose was not calling her local station, and it was not a member of South Australia Police that she was talking to. It was the scammer posing as a federal agent who had spoofed the caller ID on Rose’s phone. Even though it looked like she was calling the police, she had called the scammer back at an unknown location.

Rose followed the instructions she was given to pay the debt, attending a local store that sold gift cards, purchasing the amount she ‘owed’ and sending the details through a separate phone app that she was told to download. Rose lost $1000.

Incident two

Listen to the arrest scam here

In February 2019, Debra from Grange received a phone call from someone alleging to work for a government agency. The caller advised Debra that she had in excess of $5000 worth of outstanding fines, and that if she didn’t pay it back, she would be arrested. Debra was convinced that the fines and threat were real, because upon providing the caller with the details of her local police station, she received a phone call from the Henley Beach Police Station phone number. Debra bought over $2000 worth of gift cards and provided the caller with the card numbers as she was told to. Debra then bought some more gift cards, but a staff member at the shop she was in told her she might be getting scammed. This staff member saved Debra from losing another $2000 to the scammer.

Incident three

Tom received a phone call from someone who identified themselves as working for a government agency. The caller advised Tom that he had an unpaid tax debt and that if he failed to pay it immediately, he would be arrested. Tom queried the caller, stating that he used Peppers Accounting to lodge his tax returns. The caller asked for the phone number of the accounting firm which Tom provided. Tom was convinced that his debt was legitimate, as shortly after, he received a phone call from the Peppers Accounting phone number. Tom followed the caller’s directions, purchasing a large sum of gift cards and passing the card numbers onto the caller. It turns out that the phone calls were in fact from scammers and not the agencies they stated. The scammers used a tactic called ‘phone spoofing’ which is where they change the incoming caller ID to appear as though it was coming from the accounting firm. Tom was not able to recover the money he spent on gift cards.

To make a report visit cyber.gov.au

Find out more about how this scam works from scamwatch.gov.au

Karen lives in Adelaide. Over two years ago she started a relationship with a person living overseas. Karen put $50,000 into his bank account which she thought was going towards his education. When Karen travelled overseas to meet her online partner in person he didn’t turn up. She has ceased all contact with him but she has been left emotionally broken and $50,000 poorer.

To make a report visit cyber.gov.au

Find out more about how this scam works from scamwatch.gov.au.

Incident one

Barry started speaking with a person on a dating website who stated they were an adult entertainment model. As the conversation progressed, the model got Barry to speak to her ‘manager’ requesting a booking fee to meet up with the model, but assured Barry that he would get the money back when he met the model in person. Barry transferred the money, in addition to another $200 to book a hotel room. The manager stated they never received the funds, and requested Barry transfer more, to which he refused. Barry kept chatting with the model, which lead to him sending intimate photographs of himself. On doing so, he was threatened to pay money to the scammers or they would release his photos to his family members and friends on social media. Barry did not pay the scammers the money and reported the matter to police.

Incident two

Craig received a friend request from an unknown person on social media. He accepted the request and exchanged messages with his new friend. The following day, this evolved into engaging in intimate acts. Shortly after, Craig was contacted by scammers, with attachments containing video footage and photographs of him engaging in acts from the day before. He was threatened to pay $2000 or the footage would be released to all of his social media friends.

Incident three

Bruce from Norwood received an email from an unknown person, stating that he had been filmed through his webcam whilst visiting an adult site. The email contained an old password of Bruce’s, which the scammer offered up as proof  they had gained remote access to his computer. The scammers threatened the footage would be release to family and friends if he failed to pay a sum of money. Bruce did not pay the money. No such footage existed, and the scammers had not gained access to Bruce’s computer. The scammers supplied an old password used by Bruce, which had been compromised in a data breach some years earlier.

To make a report visit cyber.gov.au

Find out more about how this scam works from scamwatch.gov.au

Watch our video on sextortion here.

Incident one

In December 2020, Susan received a phone call from eBay advising her that her online shopping account had been hacked. After confirming that the purchases had not been made by her, the caller requested Susan to download an app that would assist in reinstating her compromised account. After installing the app and providing personal identification including her bank account, the caller was able to verify the account for her. Susan was told she would be reimbursed for the purchases made and would receive a call back when the money had been refunded.

Unfortunately the app that she had downloaded was a type of remote access software that provided the caller with full access and control of Susan’s phone. When she logged into her bank account to see if she had been refunded, she realised that large sums of money had been transferred out of her account by the scammers instead.

Incident two

Joan from Marion received a phone call on her mobile phone from a man claiming to be from her telco, offering to fix her slow internet connection. Joan was asked by the caller to download and install an app on her mobile phone that she was unfamiliar with. Joan complied with this request, installing the application without hesitation believing she was speaking with a legitimate representative of her telco. Joan was told that she had to transfer a small sum of money to the telco, but that it would be returned to her bank account immediately. Joan complied with this request, which provided the caller with all of her banking details as the application she had installed allowed ‘remote access’ to her phone. This essentially meant the caller could see everything on Joan’s screen and even control her device. When Joan checked her bank balance she saw that her bank account had been emptied. The caller was in fact a scammer and not a representative of any telco.

To make a report visit cyber.gov.au

Find out more about how this scam works from scamwatch.gov.au

Incident one

A 65-year-old woman received a message on Facebook Messenger apparently from a friend. It had the friend’s photo and name on it. The message advised the victim of a Facebook compensation lottery, which her friend had won, and for which the victim was eligible. The message contained a link to a claim agent. The victim was promised $35,000 if she paid a $9,500 insurance fee. While the victim paid $2578 (including $28 bank fee), she was asked to pay the rest but advised she couldn’t pay any more as she was on a pension. A few days later the victim has asked for her money back and was told the agent would start a process to refund the money. She has been in contact and is repeatedly told they are working on it. The victim finally told the agent that she wanted her money back this week, or she would go to the police. The victim has had no further contact.

Incident two

Sally was on holiday when she received a message via social media from a ‘friend’ telling her that she had won money. Sally was given a phone number to contact to find out how to claim her winnings. When she contacted the number, the ‘agent’ asked for some information including her personal details and various forms of ID, which she provided. Sally also bought $400 worth of gift cards at the request of the agent, and provided them with the card numbers. It was when the ‘agent’ started asking for more gift cards, that Sally realised she was being scammed by someone using her friend’s social media account.

To make a report visit cyber.gov.au

Find out more about how this scam works from scamwatch.gov.au

Incident one

A 32-year-old man received an email offering a cure for the COVID-19 virus. The email contained a link that would, supposedly, take the user to a website selling a new product that cured and prevented falling ill with the Novel Corona virus. The website prompted the user to supply personal details, including full name and credit card details. The man realised that this information was valuable and fortunately did not fall for the phishing attempt.

Scammers are continuing to exploit the fear of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Common scams that are circulating relate to falsely advertising coronavirus-related remedies such as this one, and setting up fake fundraising initiatives. Members of the public need to be mindful that many of the fraudulent advert and product links are integrated into popular social media platforms. Emails claiming to be from legitimate health or fundraising organisations are also being used by scammers.

Incident two

A 52-year-old man, who lives within the bushfire affected areas of South Australia, received a phone call from someone claiming to be from a bank. The caller said the bank would like to give him money from the Disaster Relief Fund. To do this the bank needed their account details in order to electronically transfer the money to them. The man became suspicious and questioned the caller regarding specifics of the fund and the bank for which they claimed to represent. The caller was unable to provide adequate answers, so the victim hung up the phone. The victim rang his bank using a known number, to which they confirmed the phone call was a scam.

Incident three

No one is immune to ‘Phishing’ emails, not even the police. Along with numerous other businesses, SA Police recently received an email claiming to be from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. However, on closer inspection, there were several typical warning signs that the email was in fact a scam. Have a look at the suspicious email and some of the give away signs.

Incident four

"A better service than Netflix... and it's free for Australians!"?

No, it's not. An advertisement for MovieFlix has been doing the rounds on social media, but don't be fooled, it is actually an elaborate ploy to steal your credit card details.

The phishing scam leads users to a fake article that claims to have been shared and commented on by thousands of users, along with a still photo of an apparent news bulletin. The advertisement has been picked up by Western Australia’s Consumer Protection Department and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch team and identified as a scam.

Incident one

In March 2021, Josh was browsing through his social media when he came across an advertisement for a Bitcoin investment opportunity. Only a couple of weeks prior, he had seen a segment on the news talking about the recent price rise and thought that he should give it a go.

The company’s website looked professional and even had a video testimonial from a high-profile celebrity. Josh was assisted by Customer Support using the in-chat popup on the website, and by downloading a remote access app on his phone, Customer Support could now log in directly to his device and help him create accounts. He checked the account regularly and could see that he was making decent returns on his small investment. Encouraged by this, he invested a larger sum of money, which also performed well. A couple of months later Josh tried to withdraw money from the account, but was unable to. He was provided several excuses as to why this was the case, before the company ultimately stopped responding to his requests and locked him out of his account.

It turns out that the company was fraudulent and that his investment was actually non-existent. From the get go, scammers had transferred the cryptocurrency straight to their own account and had no intention of paying out any money to Josh. Instead, they used fake graphs and fictitious account balances to make it appear that he was making money, when in fact he was not. Unfortunately, not only did Josh suffer a financial loss, but the identification that he used to set up the account was then also used to set up phone plans and apply for loans that he did not authorise.

Incident two

In May 2020, a 54-year-old female received a phone call from a superannuation agent, advising her that she was eligible to access some of her super through the Government’s early release scheme in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. After confirming both her personal and account details, the agent advised her that he had successfully lodged the request for her. The female has since realised she was the victim of a scam and has had money stolen from her account. The scammers tried to withdraw additional funds but fortunately the transaction was prevented. The Government’s decision to allow early access to superannuation has helped many people through the COVID-19 crisis, however cybercriminals are taking advantage of the initiative by stealing South Australians’ Superannuation funds via the scheme.

Avoid giving out personal information over the phone, especially if you have been called out of the blue. If in doubt, hang up the phone and call the company back on a known, reputable contact number, such as one on their official website.

To make a report visit cyber.gov.au

Find out more about how this scam works from scamwatch.gov.au

Watch our video on investment scams here.

Incident one

Tom was looking for a job and found an advert for truck drivers on an online job searching website. The job was based out of Adelaide and appealed to Tom. He responded to the advert and received an email from what appeared to be the company he was interested in working for. They requested proof of identity and proof of residency in the form of a driver’s licence, Medicare card and/or passport and requested copies of these documents prior to his interview, which was scheduled for a week’s time. Tom attended his scheduled interview, only to be told by staff at the company that they had not advertised any positions and were unaware of the job advert. He was not the only hopeful applicant that attended for an interview.

Tom has since discovered that the ID he provided had been used to purchase several items in his name. He is currently working with his bank, companies and police to recover the costs and locate the scammers.

Incident two

Stephanie applied for a job advertised online as a virtual administrative assistant. She was advised that she was successful in winning the position and was provided with a Skype ID and a Bitcoin Wallet. Stephanie was asked to provide her personal bank account details, which she did. She was instructed that funds for the business would be deposited into her personal bank account, and her role was to transfer that money into the Bitcoin Wallet. Stephanie followed these instructions, believing it was her job to do so, but was never remunerated for her employment as promised. When she contacted the company to query it, she was advised she had been involved in money laundering and was threatened to keep doing what she had been doing, or they would expose what she had done to Australian authorities. Stephanie alerted police to the scam and was not prosecuted.

To make a report visit cyber.gov.au

Find out more about how this scam works from scamwatch.gov.au

RTD Paving sent out invoices to various customers requesting payment. They received notification that one of the invoices had been paid, but when they checked the business’ bank account, they found the payment did not appear on their statement. They contacted the customer to query the payment, to which the customer stated they had followed the email’s directions attached to the invoice. The email attached to the invoice directed the customer to pay the funds into the business’ ‘new account’. RTD Paving advised the customer they did not have a new account, and had not sent the described email. RTP Paving’s email exchange had been compromised, allowing scammers to intercept the email, modify the banking details that the customer received and direct them to pay the invoice into the scammers account instead.

To make a report visit cyber.gov.au

Find out more about how this scam works from scamwatch.gov.au

Teddies4Kids is a large not-for-profit organisation. Last month, scammers were able to gain access to their servers by using software that tried various combinations of usernames and passwords, until a combination was successful. Once in, ransomware was installed, locking the organisation out from accessing all of their information and data across multiple States/Territories. Teddies4Kids were ordered to pay a ransom by the scammers to have their data decrypted, to which they refused to pay. The organisation lost a significant amount of its data as a result, which affected day to day operations.

To make a report visit cyber.gov.au

Find out more about how this scam works from scamwatch.gov.au

Anyone can be targeted by scammers – so always be on the look out.

Scammers can be very convincing, so if something does not feel right, do not be pressured into making a decision on the spot. They will often use the tactic of short timeframes to prevent potential victims from taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

Go to a source of truth – If you are not sure whether the person you are speaking to is who they say they are, hang up the phone and call back the agency using a phone number you know to be true i.e. from the phonebook.

Before you transfer money or share your bank details, discuss it with someone you trust or check cyber.gov.au to see if you are involved in a scam.

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

Secure your online devices such as your phone, tablet, computer and your information by following the handy tips on the staysmartonline website.

There are simple steps you can take as an individual, family and business to avoid becoming the next victim of an online scam.

If you think you may have been a victim of an incident, report it immediately by visiting cyber.gov.au/report

You should also consider contacting your bank if you have shared your information or someone has accessed your account without permission.

Find out how to recover when things go wrong on the staysmartonline website.

If you are concerned that a loved one is continuing to send money to scammers despite family/friends' attempted interventions, you may want to consider making an Guardianship, Administration and Mental Health Application through the South Australian Civil Administrative Tribunal.

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