SA Police warn against opening emails from ‘police’ addresses, as international scammers imitate cops

SA Police issues warning against opening emails from ‘police’ addresses, as international scammers look to scare people into paying ‘fines’.

Police are warning members of the public not to fall for a new scam, with fake emails being sent from what appears to be a police email address.

The emails, which are coming from a “@police.sa.gov.au” address, originated from an international domain and have no association with SA Police, federal or state government.

Information Security Director at SA Police Alan Harrland said the individuals creating the emails are using a technique called “spoofing” to trick those who receive it into thinking they’ve received correspondence from a legitimate SAPOL email.

“Most modern email clients are capable of detecting and blocking this type of attack, however some members of the public have still received the emails in their inbox,” Mr Harrland said.

International scammers are using ‘police’ emails in their latest attacks.

“Although the ultimate intent of the activity is unknown, it is likely the individuals are trying to obtain bank account information or account login details.”

While SA Police said they do issue eTicket expiations, they are predominantly issued after a face-to-face conversation with a police officer and are not auto-generated without contact from a police officer – with the exception of some parking offences.

They said if you haven’t spoken to a police officer in person and have received an eTicket, it’s likely a scam.

Anyone who has received an email that isn’t sure if it’s real is encouraged to contact the Expiation Notice Branch Call Centre and not to open any links or attachments.

“We encourage people to verify any unexpected emails from South Australia Police,” Mr Harrland said.

SA Police says people should be interacting with a police officer before receiving any email correspondence.

The scam comes after The Advertiser revealed a rise in QR code scams across shops and restaurants. Quishing – a form of phishing that uses QR codes instead of text-based links in emails, digital platforms or on physical items – is becoming “the next big thing” for scammers, according to Australian Anti Scam Alliance special agent director Evan Frangos.

Mr Frangos, who also owns South Australian Private Detectives (SAPD), said scammers linked to international crime groups were printing and overlying counterfeit QR codes at restaurants, retail stores, service stations and on posters to steal personal information from people’s phones.

“As soon as you take the image of the QR code, malware is downloaded onto your phone and in an instant, all your passwords and all your details are stolen,” he said.

“If this includes all your banking, your money can be gone in an instant.”

Mr Frangos urges people to either check to see if a fake QR code has been overlaid or simply not use QR codes at all when out at restaurants or shops.