Dangerous Scam!

Beware of a  scam that I consider to be extremely dangerous. Recently I missed a call from an 02 number. The caller left a message, and when I dialled my message bank, I was greeted by an automated, computerised voice, announcing with some urgency that an affidavit had been filed in my name for a tax fraud, and my house was under surveillance. I was given a number to phone, or have my lawyer phone, with an added warning of urgency. The number even showed up as from Canberra. All very official. I immediately checked the number on Reverse Lookup and found that other people had experienced the same call, and identified it as a scam about tax evasion. I then filed the number neatly in my Spam file in the contacts list on my phone.

I know the steps to take to check a number and to file it in a Spam Folder, but for some residents, the call could spark fear, panic, and even life-threatening health issues. The very least that could happen is the unsuspecting person could make the call to the number and fall victim to the scam that this is.

I tend not to answer calls from numbers I don’t recognise and wait for the caller to leave a message. If the caller has a valid reason for calling me, they will leave a message. Spammers and Scammers tend not to. Another way of identifying possible ‘spam’ or ‘scam’ calls is by the number of rings. Spammers and Scammers will usually only wait for 3-4 rings before hanging up and moving on to the next call.

If you are concerned about any call you receive, check with a family member or friend, and NEVER ever give any personal or banking details over the phone unless you know the person and trust that it is a legitimate reason.

There are a few things you can do to guard against scammers:

  • Refuse to give details over the phone
  • Check the number on the Reverse Lookup website, or ask someone to do it for you
  • If the caller says they are from your bank, don’t give any details but ask for a contact name and tell them you’ll call them back.
    •  Look up the phone number for your bank and call them.
    • Tell them about the call and ask if they had called.
  • Learn to be very suspicious about calls you get
  • Don’t worry about offending the caller – if they are legitimate, they’ll understand

It pays to be suspicious in this technological age 

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Maureen

Born in Sydney - retired in Mountain View Murwillumbah, after teaching Special Education for more years than I can remember in NSW and Qld. My goal is to figure out the finer points of putting together a functional website and to write blogs that people want to read. Oh, and to travel the world, and share the beauty of the beautiful place I now call home.

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