Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli becomes cybercrime victim
Authorities are monitoring social media after accounts were set up in Rosanna Natoli’s name, with residents contacted by scammers on multiple platforms.
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The Sunshine Coast mayor has become a cybercrime victim as fake social media accounts have been set up in her name and residents messaged by scammers.
Sunshine Coast police warned the actions were criminal offences.
Rosanna Natoli said fake accounts were set up and scammers were messaging and Skype calling people asking for personal information, bank details and organising meetings.
“Please know that I would never seek money from community members or send links to organise or join meetings via social media platforms,” Mrs Natoli said.
“To help keep everyone safe, please be vigilant.
“We encourage anyone who has received social media or other communications via a fake profile to report this behaviour to the social media network it’s occurring on, the Queensland Police Service and the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
“Don’t be fooled by these scammers and take steps to protect yourself from cybercrime.”
The mayor said she had reported the scammers to authorities and police and the Australian Cyber Security Centre would monitor the situation.
Sunshine Coast Police District Officer Acting Superintendent Chris Toohey said cybercrime was a criminal offence.
“Please be cautious when communicating with people online and if in doubt, do not engage,” Act Spdt Toohey said.
“If you think you have provided your financial details or sent money to a scammer, contact your financial institution immediately and report the incident to police.”
The mayor’s Facebook URL is facebook.com/MayorRosannaNatoliOfficial.
Other ways of contacting Mrs Natoli are available on the council website.
The council also warned of scam phone callers saying they were from the council and asking residents for personal information or asking to visit their home.
The council would not phone customers asking for personal information, a council spokeswoman said.
She said if in doubt, contact the council to verify the contact was legitimate.
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