Scams
SCAMS – Some hints how to stay safe
Online Shopping Scams
Shopping scams are big business for cyber criminals. How big? According to a report by the ACCC, in 2019 alone the reported losses from online shopping scams in Australia were well over $4 million!
Scammers often try to take advantage of busy times, such as people catching the latest sales. Commonly targeted items include shoes, smartphones and other electronic goods.
One of the ways they do this is by creating fake websites, where they advertise goods and services which are poor quality or unsafe, or goods that will never be delivered.
To get attention, they’ll often advertise with images of well-known products at much cheaper prices than usual, luring customers to go to their site.
These scammers will often advertise their websites on social media platforms, especially Facebook, so they’ll be seen and shared by a vast majority of people. It’s also quite common for scammers to send out a link to the site through phishing emails.
Once you make a ‘purchase’ on the website, the scammers will use your personal
information and card details you enter which can then be used to steal money or commit identity theft.
Chances are you’ll never receive the item you bought or, if you do, it will be of very poor quality or broken.
Protect yourself. Never pay for anything online via a bank or wire transfer. Only pay through a secure method such as a credit card or PayPal.
For example, if you’re using eBay and the domain name is anything other than ebay.com.au, it’s fake.
Check for a green secure padlock in the address bar. Any secure payment site should have this. This way your payment is protected. If the seller takes you to a separate website for payment, check the URL in the address bar.
Make sure you read the website’s terms and conditions regarding payments to see if and how your purchase is protected.
Parcel Delivery/Phishing Email Scams
Parcel delivery and phishing email scams are a regular occurrence for businesses throughout the year. But the risk typically rises after Christmas with the increase in online gift shopping sales.
With people expecting so many deliveries during this busy period, it can be easy to lose track. Most companies will contact their customers via email to keep them informed on the delivery process, and when their parcel is expected to be delivered.
Scammers take advantage of this by sending out thousands of phishing emails advising that an individual has a package to collect, and importantly including a link or attachment within the email.
Before thinking, many people click on these links – which often contain viruses or malware designed to lock you out of your computer. Or log your usernames and passwords for sensitive sites, providing hackers with either your personal information or your banking details.
Keep your computer updated with the latest anti-virus and anti-spyware software, combined with an up-to-date firewall.
What if I open a suspicious email or message - What is happening?
A cybercriminal may be attempting to infect your device with malware or steal your confidential information, such as your credit card details, business credentials, or login details for your online banking or business email.
Read the information below to check that this is the right scenario for you. If you’re confident you’ve selected the right scenario, you can skip this step by selecting next at the bottom of the page.
There are several things cybercriminals can do with scam emails and messages (social engineering and phishing) including:
· access your accounts, for example, by tricking you into inputting your username and passphrase into a fake login page steal your information, for example, by tricking you into inputting your credit card details into a fake payment page
· install malware on your device, for example, by tricking you into clicking on malicious links or downloading malicious attachments
· compromise your business email accounts and send your customers fraudulent invoices or impersonate your company.
Warning signs
The scam email or message you received may pretend to be from a large organisation you trust to make the scam more believable. You should be suspicious of the email or message if it:
- was unexpected
- pressures you into taking urgent action, for example, urgently paying an invoice
- is sent from an address that seems irregular for the sender
- is an address that the sender hasn’t used in previous messages to you
- is not addressed to you personally
- has poor spelling or grammar
- is inconsistent with other messages you have received from the sender
- has payment details that are different from previous emails from the sender.
Verifying if a suspicious message is genuine
If you are suspicious of an email or message, do not open it. It can be hard to recognise a scam email or message. If you are not sure if a message you have received is genuine, consider contacting the sender via a trusted phone number or navigating directly to their website to verify the message. Make sure you contact the sender directly, do not follow any links or use any contact details in the suspicious message.
What to do if you open a suspicious email or message
If you accidentally open a suspicious email or message, avoid clicking on any links, opening any attachments or responding. If you have not clicked on any links, opened any attachments or responded, there’s little risk. Just delete.
- If you have clicked on a link, opened an attachment or responded, you may be at risk.
- Get professional advice about what you can do.