Have you ever been scammed? I have, I have been tried twice recently. It made me far more aware of the problem and the need for everyone of us to stay alert.
Scammers are becoming more sophisticated in the way they try and steal our money or personal details.
More recently scammers have taken advantage of new technologies, using social media apps and emails to contact potential victims.
Just last week I was sent an email that seemed to be from my bank.
But when I looked at it more closely, it was someone trying to fool me into giving them my bank account details.I know I'm not the only one to receive these fake emails.
Australians lost more than $634 million to scams last year. There were more than 350,000 cases, the real figure is probably much higher as many people don’t report being ripped off.
There’ve been reports of more than 4000 scams mentioning Coronavirus, robbing Australians of $3 million at a time when every single dollar counts.
So please be careful, stay on your guard and if you think you’re being scammed ask a friend, a family member or contact the business directly. Don’t be embarrassed or too scared to ask for help.
You can always say no, hang up the phone or delete an email. It doesn’t matter if you’ve said yes previously. You don’t owe the scammer anything.
Importantly, if you think your bank account details have been compromised, notify your financial institution immediately.
You can report a scam by contacting the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
As always, my office is here to help if we can. Please take care.
That’s just as I see it.
