What are scams?
Scams are designed to trick you into giving away your money or your personal details. Scams come to you in many forms – by mail, email, telephone, over the Internet and door-to-door. There are several methods that scammers use to steal your money or personal details. Here are two common ones:
1. Great promises
Scammers try to suck you in by promising things like great prizes, true love or easy money. But before they deliver anything, they will ask you to send money or give them your bank account or credit card numbers or other personal details. They never deliver what you expect and always rip you off.
2. Requests for your personal details
Scammers pretend to be legitimate banks or businesses. They approach you out of the blue with leaflets, letters, emails, websites or phone calls with requests that seem like the real thing. Then they’ll give a reason as to why you need to provide them with your personal details, like your credit card number, password, bank account number etc. But genuine organisations don’t usually make such unsolicited requests. If you provide them with your personal details they could steal your money and your identity.
Why do scams work?
A scam succeeds because it looks like the real thing. Scammers are manipulative – they push your buttons to produce the response they want. Don’t let scammers steal your money and personal details – protect yourself.
Dangerous myths about scams
Busting the following commons myths will help reduce your chances of being scammed.
MYTH: The Government vets all companies and businesses, therefore any offers you receive are from legitimate organisations.
FACT: Scammers are criminals. They act illegally and can contact you from anywhere in the world.
MYTH: All Internet sites are real and legitimate.
FACT: Fake websites can easily be set up to look like the real thing
MYTH: There are shortcuts to wealth that only a few people know.
FACT: They wouldn’t be telling their secrets to you.
MYTH: Scams only involve large amounts of money.
FACT: Some scammers target large numbers of people for small amounts of money. It all adds up to a lot if they succeed.
MYTH: Scams are always about money.
FACT: Some scams try to steal your personal information to sell or get more than just your money.
Protect yourself – There are no guaranteed get-rich-quick schemes – the only people who get rich are the scammers.
1. Don’trespond to offers, deals or requests for your details. Stop. Take time to independently check the offer.
2. send money or give credit card, account or other personal details to anyone who makes unsolicited offers or requests for information.
3. Don’trely on glowing testimonials: find solid evidence from independent sources (not those provided with the offer).
4. Never respond to out of the blue requests for your personal details.
5. Alwaystype in the address of a website of a bank, business or authority in which you are interested.
6. Never click on a link provided in an unsolicited email as it will probably lead to a fake website designed to trap you.
7. use phone numbers provided with unsolicited requests or offers as it probably connects you to fakes who will try to trap you with lies.
8. Alwayslook up phone numbers in an independent directory when you wish to check if a request or offer is genuine.
Fight the scammers.
Don’t respond.
www.scamwatch.gov.au or call SCAMwatch on 1300 795 995
No one is safe! Scams target everyone
I have just been reading the article on Scams - very interesting. However, I noticed that in no.2 an action was missing making it read to send money … I have pasted this below
2. send money or give credit card, account or other personal details to anyone who makes unsolicited offers or requests for information.
Kindest regards
Alison Carter
Urunga NSW Branch of CWA.
I am victim of that stupid scram works. Nearly,but i try to asked everything but he didnt answer me. His using same pictures but he used many names. I did share this and i took his picure and saying he is a scrammer. It’s so hard to believe that they are scrammers coz he promised many things can touch a heart. His picture that he is using are so educated guy no one can think that he is a scrammer. Anyway,since i discovered about tha scrams work i tried my best to searc about scrams and trying to share coz they are so awful. Poor people the owner of the picture ws their using. I wish i heard early about these and to warn all my friends but it was so sad coz i am one the victim but i thank God coz he save me and let me to know early about that scram works. So bad…… It should be that things aware coz many people can be in danger any time..
Another point about scams currently running in our country are the scammer will ring up stating they are from Microsoft and that you have a virus on your computer and they will tell you what to do to get rid of it….Microsoft NEVER ring you to tell you this. The scammer will infact give the unsuspecting person directions on how enable the remote desktop service which gives them access to your pc and personal details/banking details/passwords. The other scam is they ring telling you that you have won a competition for a holiday and you just have to answer some questions. Usually this is details such as yearly wage bracket, address to send the tickets too and other details such as credit card numbers for the “incidentals” you may use in the hotel rooms…..this can be costly as now they have details to your credit cards, the address where you live and because they usually get your name out of the phone directory they have that too so they can make up false id’s and use your personal details all while they are spending the money off your credit card!
A friend has people collecting tea bag labels on behalf of ‘Gracie’ from The Ranch, Nyngan, NSW, 2825, who will send them to Newcastle, claiming that this is through a CWS initiative -when the same weight are collected as a wheelchair-a wheelchair has been promised to be donated.
Can you please confirm or is this a scam?
Many thanks,
Millie