Warning over money-making scams on lower north shore

FRAUDSTERS claiming to be from the tax office, federal police, Telstra and Microsoft are operating in the lower north shore.

Sophisticated scammers targetting Sydney’s north

POLICE are warning about three money-making scams targeting lower north shore residents.

Fraudsters claiming to be from the tax office, federal police, Telstra and Microsoft are operating in the area, with several victims lodging reports with police in the past month.

“If you think you have been scammed contact local police and we’ll investigate,” Harbourside commander Superintendent Allan Sicard said.

In the tax scam the fraudster calls the victim and claims they owe thousands. The victims are told they will lose their home if they do not transfer the money immediately.

Superintendent Allan Sicard is urging victims to contact police. Picture: Braden Fastier.

Email is used to fool people in the Australian Federal Police scam.

Victims are asked to pay bogus fines and people have been duped as the scammers provide accurate details about the vehicle’s location.

The AFP does not handle traffic offences and fake ­offences such as erratic driving have been included in the emails.

Cold callers pretending to be from Microsoft and Telstra are also attempting to squeeze money.

Victims are told they need to fix their computer and the scammers ask for permission to rem­otely access the device.

The victim is then threatened that their computer will be shut down if they do not pay by online banking.

Victims are threatened by the scammers who are pretending to be from major companies. Picture: Yuri Arcurs

“They are preying on people who don’t want to be in trouble with authority,” Supt Sicard said.

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He urged victims to contact police and said there may be more as people were embarrassed that they had been conned.

“Regrettably, this is one of the most common telephone scams that customers report to Telstra,” said Sydney Area General Manager Andrew Bogg.

“The fact that most of these scam calls originate from overseas makes it difficult to prevent the calls from being made, so we are likely to see them continue.”

Fraud is the most common offence in the area according to official crime statistics.

More than 1000 incidents were recorded in Mosman and North Sydney in the 12 months to March 2015.

Have you been the victim of a scam? Email [e-mail]

POLICE ADVICE

■ Do not use the same password for all your devices

■ Change your passwords regularly

■ Do not give anyone remote access to your devices

■ Never send money or give credit card details to anyone you don’t know or trust

■ Contact your bank or service provider if you have been contacted by a scammer

■ Do not be fooled by an email that looks legitimate

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