NBN scams on the rise
Australians are being warned to watch out for NBN impersonators this Christmas.
Australians are being warned to remain vigilant when it comes to NBN impersonators, named by far the most reported scam for 2019.
The Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA) on Thursday revealed the top five phone scams most reported to the agency, with NBN impersonators followed by scammers pretending to offer technical support for your computer, which they often claim has a virus.
Other scams include a text message which appears to come from Australia Post, claiming there is problem with delivery of a package.
The SMS includes a link to a fake Australia Post website that will ask for your personal and financial details.
ACMA Authority member Fiona Cameron said she wanted to raise scam awareness during the Christmas period.
She said that combined, the top five most reported scams accounted for 87 per cent of total scams.
“The top three on the list are all impersonation scams that many people will be familiar with,” she said.
“The ACMA’s new Combating Scams Action Plan is designed to reduce the number of scam calls Australians receive.
“The project will put enforceable obligations on telco providers to share data and work together to identify and block scam calls like these ones.
“There will also be a trial that will identify where high volumes of scam calls are coming from, and have Australian carriers work with their international counterparts to block those calls.
“We are confident that we can significantly reduce these scams in a bid to protect Australia.”
Ms Cameron said anyone who is receiving scam calls has a number of steps they can take.
“If you think a call is suspect, don’t engage, instead hang up, block the number and report the call to Scamwatch.
“If you are unsure whether a call is a scam or not, hang up and contact the organisation the caller claims to be from to verify the details. ”
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