20 May 2018

Guy Barnett, Minister for Building and Construction

Scam Awareness Week

Tasmanians are being urged to be on the lookout for threat-based impersonation scams as part of Scams Awareness Week.

Scams Awareness Week runs from 21–25 May 2018 and aims to educate consumers on how to identify and avoid scams.

Impersonation scams involve a scammer either calling or emailing you and pretending to be from a government agency or familiar business, such as Telstra, Australia Post or the police.

Scammers may make threats that they will cancel your service or charge you fees if you don’t do what they ask to pressure or scare you into giving them money or personal information.

If this happens to you, take a moment to “Stop and check: Is this for real?”

• Always ask yourself whether the person or business that’s contacted you is who they say they are.
• Verify the identity of the contact through an independent source, such as a phone book or online search. Don’t use the contact details provided by the caller or in the message sent to you.
• Never send money, give your banking or credit card details, or provide personal information to anyone you don’t know by email or over the phone.
• Know that a government agency or trusted business will never ask you to pay them with gift cards, iTunes cards, wire transfers or bitcoin.
• Never give anyone remote access to your computer if they’ve contacted you out of the blue – whether through a phone call, pop up window or email.

The ACCC’s Scamwatch received almost 33,000 reports of these scams in 2017. Over $4.7 million was reported lost and more than 2800 people gave their personal information to scammers.

Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) has published a magazine called Consumer Connections aimed at informing consumers about their rights and the protections available to them, and I encourage those interested to pick up a copy.

Consumer Connections will be available from the beginning of Scams Awareness Week from Service Tasmania, Community Legal Centres, Colony 47, LINC, Neighbourhood Centres and Key-Sector groups.

For more information about these scams, where to get help or to report a scam, visit the Scamwatch website www.scamwatch.gov.au/scamsweek2018

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