Scams and how they work
Anyone who’s spent time on the Internet knows that things online aren’t always as they seem. The general anonymity of the Internet has provided fertile ground for new forms of fraud. Here you’ll find information on common internet fraud schemes and steps to take if you’ve been the victim of one.
Have you been getting scam texts with ‘missed voicemails’? Here’s why, and what you should do
Telstra have explained that the messages come from “legitimate devices all around the world” and are difficult to block.
The point of the scam is for users to click on the link in the message (it should go without saying: don’t click on the link), which will download some nasty malware to your phone.
If you do click on the link, it’ll take you to a site that shows your phone number, the alleged length of the “missed message” (e.g. 2 minutes and 34 seconds), and a link to ‘Download voicemail app’ and instructions to enable the download of the application if initially blocked by the phone.
To reiterate: don’t click on the link.
Other Types of Fraud
Common varieties of fraud offenses include:
- Identity theft
- Billing fraud
- Rebate scam
- Dating fraud
- Credit/debit card fraud
- Telemarketing fraud
- Tax evasion
- Amazon iPhone scam
- Charity fraud
If you think you have been scammed, report this to Australian Competition & Consumers Commission (ACCC)
Warnings Signs of Fraud and What to Look Out For.
No. 1. is of course, be wary if anyone unfamiliar asks for the digits of your credit or debit card.
Rebate Scams
Rebate scams try to convince you that you are entitled to a rebate or reimbursement from the government, a bank or trusted organisation.
How this scam works
Billing scams
False billing scams request you or your business to pay fake invoices for directory listings, advertising, domain name renewals or office supplies that you did not order.
Identity theft – Attempts to gain your personal information
Scammers use all kinds of sneaky approaches to steal your personal details. Once obtained, they can use your identity to commit fraudulent activities such as using your credit card or opening a bank account.
How this scam works
Threats & extortion
Scammers will use any means possible to steal your identity or your money – including threatening your life or ‘hijacking’ your computer.
How this scam works
Inheritance scams
These scams offer you the false promise of an inheritance to trick you into parting with your money or sharing your bank or credit card details.
How this scam works
Dating Websites
Scammers take advantage of people looking for romantic partners, often via dating websites, apps or social media by pretending to be prospective companions. They play on emotional triggers to get you to provide money, gifts or personal details.
How this scam works
Fake charities
Scammers impersonate genuine charities and ask for donations or contact you claiming to collect money after natural disasters or major events.
Classified scams
Classified scams trick online shoppers on classified websites into thinking they are dealing with a legitimate contact but it is actually a scammer.
How this scam works
Scamming the scammers.
A group of IT technicians across U.K, America, Australia and New Zealand called scambaiters, have taken up the challenge to expose the scammers by pretending to be an innocent victim. The put on a voice or use voice changing apps and waste hours and hours of the time of the scammers to protect other victims. They have found a way to not only get into the scammers computer but delete the files on their computer. But before they do that, They download and copy relevant documents of the victims details so they can warn them about what is happening. Sometimes it is too late, but nevertheless, they try their best. Their work is paid for by advertisers and other Security Software companies.
What is scambaiting?
Scammer Packback shows how he got back at the scammers.
The most basic form of scambaiting sets out to waste a scammer’s time. At a minimum, scambaiters attempt to make scammers answer countless questions or perform pointless and random tasks. By keeping a scammer busy, scambaiters claim they’re preventing the scammer from defrauding a real victim.
Take a look at this video to see how they do it.
What is scambaiting?
Scammer Packback shows how he got back at the scammers.
The most basic form of scambaiting sets out to waste a scammer’s time. At a minimum, scambaiters attempt to make scammers answer countless questions or perform pointless and random tasks. By keeping a scammer busy, scambaiters claim they’re preventing the scammer from defrauding a real victim.
