Scamming is rife in Australia and the rest of the world right now.
WATCH: James Tobin shows you how to keep your passwords safe
In fact, two-thirds of Australians aged 15 years and over were exposed to a scam in 2021-22, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
How to identify a scam
With so much of our lives moving online, scammers are only getting more intelligent, making it hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t.
To help you out, here are the most common types and scams and the red flags to watch out for.
According to the Australian Government Scam Watch website, scammers will:
- Claim to be from a well-known business or impersonate someone you know.
- Ask you to verify your details by going to websites they have created or asking you to call the numbers they provide.
- Appeal to your emotions and press your buttons to get what they want.
- Develop a sense of urgency to get you to make decisions without thinking.
Four common types of scams
Phishing scams
A phishing scam is where attackers trick people into revealing sensitive information or installing ransomware onto their devices.
This can happen over SMS or an email for mail delivery, looking like it’s Australia Post. Just because something looks like it came from your bank doesn’t mean it did.
Warning signs of a scam:
- Spelling and grammar mistakes.
- It has a malicious link. Banks won’t ask you for personal details, especially over text messages. Don’t click the links.
- Look for https. “Legitimate sites containing sensitive information will use https, not http, but don’t rely on this alone — some scam sites use https too,” says the Scam Watch website.
- There’s a sense of urgency.
- The sms is a different style to what you usually get from your bank.
Online shopping scam
Warning signs of a shopping scam
If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you’ve clicked on an ad for a product, it takes you to a new website. Here are some signs it’s a scam.
- The URL has http and not https.
- They ask for a nonsecure payment like a wire or bank transfer.
- There’s a sense of urgency.
Classified scam
Warning signs of a classified scam
If you’re looking to buy something on a marketplace, here are some signs it’s a scam.
- The images look like stock images, or there aren’t very many. Scammers can take pictures from the internet and use them in their ads. So always ask for more photos or videos.
- The price is too good to be true. Or there are other upfront costs. For example, scam watch says, “Puppy scammers often claim that they live or have moved interstate or overseas, so you’ll need to pay extra costs like transport, insurance or customs costs. Local pickup will usually not appear as an option.”
- The payment method isn’t secure.
Work emails scams
Warning signs of an email scam
If you get an email from someone at work asking you to change where a payment would usually go, always follow this up in person before following through.
Scam watch says: “Business email compromise scammers will try to divert payments to their bank accounts. Always verify changes to payment details directly with the recipient, using known and trusted contact details. Don’t deviate from your organisation’s payment procedure, which may include going through a finance, accounting or payment team, even if the request appears to come from your CEO or senior manager.”
What to do if you’ve been scammed
If you’ve been scammed, you aren’t alone. The Money Smart website has a great list of the steps you need to take depending on if you’ve paid a scammer money or if they have your personal information. Find the list here.
Additionally, to keep other people safe, you can report the scam to the ACCC’s Scam Watch so they can warn others.
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