Top 10 NSW postcodes hit by NBN scammers: Hunter features list twice

Scammers target everyone and anyone, but we can reveal the NSW suburbs hit hardest by NBN scammers. Read the top 10 postcodes hit by scammers.

It doesn’t matter who you are, scams target everyone and anyone.

The General Manager at Newcastle for nbn Australia even received a call about his own company citing his NBN would be disconnected.

“You’d think I’d know about what my own company was doing,’’ Christopher Cusack said.

A family member also luckily managed to avoid being duped, when she received a call from a supposed NBN service saying she was set to be disconnected and they needed access to her computer.

But once fraudsters gain access, it’s all over.

NBN Local General Manager Chris Cusack is warning people of nbn scams.

‘Remote access scams’, one of the largest growing scam types in Australia, will see a scammer call someone and request access to a victim’s devices in order to transfer money, often without their knowledge in a ‘hacking’ scenario.

“It’s quite a common one, they’re claiming that your service is going to be disconnected, but it’s not true NBN does not contact customers to advise their services are disconnected, in fact nbn is a wholesaler so we deal with retailers with large telcos and internet providers,” Mr Cusack said.

“We wouldn’t be ringing customers to disconnect them.’ Advice is to hang up on those calls.”

According to data from Scamwatch, Australians lost more than $1.4 million to nbn-related scams between January and September this year, a significant jump from 2020, when total annual losses amounted to just over $1 million.

Scammers usually target large telcos like Vodafone as well as nbn. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

While people from Victoria reported the highest losses from nbn impersonation scams at almost $500,000, NSW was close behind in second spot, followed by Queensland.

Of the top 10 postcodes in NSW to be hit hardest by NBN scammers, the Hunter was the hardest hit.

TOP 10 POSTCODES FOR NBN SCAMMERS

* 2322 - Thornton, Beresfield, Hexham, Tarro

* 2065 - Crows Nest, Greenwich, St Leonards

* 2560 - Appin, Leumeah, Campbelltown, Ruse

* 2153 - Baulkham Hills, Bella Vista, Winston Hills

* 2320 - Maitland, Aberglasslyn, Allandale, Bolwarra, Pokolbin, Rutherford

* 2000 - Sydney, Darling Harbour, Haymarket

* 2088 - Mosman

* 2145 - Girraween, Greystanes, Westmead, Pendle Hill

* 2031 - Clovelly, Randwick

* 2259 - (Central Coast) Chain Valley Bay, Kanwal, Mardi, Tuggerah, Wyong, Wyee

Top spot was taken out by postcode 2322 which covers the areas of Thornton, Beresfield, Hexham and Tarro, while rounding out the top five was postcode 2320 which covers the wider Maitland area including Pokolbin, Rutherford and Aberglasslyn.

Across the top 10, Sydney suburbs were hit the most, with Crows Nest and surrounding areas (2065) coming in at number two for being targeted by scammers and south-west Sydney (2560) in third place.

“These scammers tend to focus on large organisations with a national profile, the banks, major telecommunications companies, including nbn,” Mr Cusack said.

Elderly Australians have reported being targeted by nbn scammers. Istock.

“Some of these scams are terrible and people are scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars, it really is a disgraceful practice, unfortunately part of society we have to try and combat with education.

“It’s quite inadvertently easy to be sucked in by one of these but all we can try and do is educate people.’’

The most vulnerable, our older Australians, people over the age of 65, where there is the highest number of reports and losses from nbn scams overall.

That’s why nbn has launched the ‘Scamfit Program’, helping to arm 10,000 Aussies with practical tips and techniques on how to avoid falling victim to scams, and raise awareness about the steps to taken if you become a victim or been contacted by a scammer.

“Scams impact Australians of all ages, but older Australians can often be scammers’ primary targets,” nbn’s chief security officer Darren Kane said.

“These scammers are smart, they know what to say to sound convincing over the phone, and they can create a sense of urgency or confusion to put their victim off-kilter.

“When cornered by a scammer, many older Australians may not know how to shut down the conversation or avoid being tricked into making a mistake.”

nbn is offering workshops to upskill people not to fall victim to scams. Picture: istock

As part of the program, nbn will be running online ScamFit Workouts, workshops and online, during Scams Awareness Week this week.

Workout sessions will be hosted in partnership with the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association (ASCCA), all to help fight back against scammers.

“People often underestimate older Australians, especially when it comes to technology. But given the right skills and training there’s no reason older Australians can’t arm ourselves against scammers, and maybe even help teach younger Aussies a thing or two about getting ScamFit,” Spokesperson for the ASCCA, Nan Bosler said.

TOP TIPS if targeted by a scammer:

• Contact your bank or financial institution immediately.
• Report the matter to your local police. You could also report your issue to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).
• If you have provided remote access to your computer or mobile device or given personal or financial information to a scammer, contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160. Try to record as much information as possible including phone numbers, names, or any remote access ID. Remote access companies such as TeamViewer also accept direct reports of scams via their website to investigate and block fraudulent accounts.
• To protect others, report scams to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) via Scamwatch.