Displaying items by tag: scammers

Scammers are continuing to impersonate the Optus brand to scam Australians, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) which has warned that it is receiving reports of convincing-looking email scams using Optus branding.

GUEST OPINION Sophos, a global leader in innovating and delivering cybersecurity as a service, today revealed details of how it tracked down the likely culprit behind more than 20 fake criminal marketplaces designed to con cyberscammers in part three of Sophos’ series, “The Scammers Who Scam Scammers on Cybercrime Forums.”

Australia’s competition watchdog, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), has issued an alert about potentially deadly solar batteries, and warning consumers to be aware that scammers may use news about a recall to elicit personal information or money from them.

Australian farmers and small businesses in rural and regional areas are urged to be cautious, particularly when buying heavy machinery, following a spike in scams targeting the agricultural sector this year.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has warned unsuspecting consumers to beware of scammers impersonating family members using text or WhatsApp messages to try and steal money or financial information.

Consumers have been warned about ongoing scams where scammers are impersonating well-known telecommunications or tech companies like Telstra, NBN Co and Microsoft.

The financial and emotional devastation caused by scams every year in Australia can be reduced if government, consumer groups and the private sector work together to make Australia a much harder target for scammers, according to ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb.

Scammers stole over $66 million last year from Indigenous Australians, people who identified as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and people with disability, according to new data from the ACCC’s annual Targeting Scams report.

Phone calls were the most common contact method used by scammers to target victims in 2021, while text messages were the second-highest contact method used by scammers.

The NSW transport authority, Transport for NSW, says it has been hit by a second network attack which took aim at the online application used by vehicle examiners to conduct roadworthy inspections.

Scamwatch, a website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, urges the public to be mindful of dating and romance scams after the organisation reported a total loss of $56 million last year, up by 44%.

Middle aged and older Australians suffered the brunt of scams in September with those aged 45 to 54 the hardest hit financially during the month and the aged 65 and over reporting the highest number of scams at 5,642.

Australians have lost over $70 million to bogus investment scams in the first half of this year and a massive increase in losses are predicted by the end of the year, according to the consumer watchdog the ACCC.

Scammers have stolen more than $7.2 million from Australians so far this year by gaining access to home computers, an increase of 184% compared to the same period last year.

Telstra announced a further milestone in its “Cleaner Pipes” initiative protecting Telstra customers, blocking on average 13 million scam calls per month.

Australians have lost a record $851 million to scams, with scammers taking advantage of the pandemic to con unsuspecting people, according to a new report which also reveals that investment scams accounted for the biggest losses.

Australia’s two largest telcos - Telstra and Optus - along with Aldi’s Medion Mobile, have been warned by the telecommunications industry regulator ACMA for failing to adequately verify people’s identities prior to transferring their mobile phone numbers from other telcos.

Australian businesses reported over $14 million in losses to Scamwatch due to payment redirection scams last year, and average losses so far in 2021 are more than five times higher compared to average losses in the same period in 2020, according to the ACCC.

An SMS popped into my iPhone's messages inbox last night, proclaiming to be an "IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM COMMBANK". Given I don't use that particular bank, well, it was obviously a scam, but some might be fooled.

Losses by Australians to dating and romance scams are expected to be much higher this year as scammers turn to a new technique - romance baiting - using dating apps to lure victims into investment scams, according to the consumer watchdog, the ACCC.