How to spot a scam

Cyber criminals such as scammers are on the rise, and now employ clever tactics to steal people's financial details and even identities.

A scammer no longer needs to obtain all your information at once - if they can get you to confirm, for example, your address and phone number, they can then sell that information to other online criminals who include it in a huge database of personal and financial details.

Once they have enough of these details, scammers can build a complete profile which they can then use to order credit cards, purchase items online, and even take out loans in your name.

Recent trends

Recently scams have become increasingly clever, with scammers calling from fake Government departments such as the fake 'Australian Government Reclaim Department' or the 'Office of Fair Trading'. Consequently, even if you receive a call or email from a seemingly-legitimate source, if you have not specifically requested it - be wary.

Some simple ways to spot a scam

• You're contacted out of the blue by someone telling you you've 'won something' or 'have received a refund'.
• You're not expecting the money or know nothing about the scheme or company in question.
• The caller or emailer asks you to identify yourself by providing financial details like your credit card number, or other personal information like your address, phone number, or mother's maiden name.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Trust your instincts - if in doubt, just hang up the phone / delete the email.

How to report a scam

In Australia you can report a suspected scam directly to the Australian Government through their Scam Watch website.

Ask the person who has called or emailed you for their name, department, and which contact number from their website you need to call to talk to them again.

Help! I think a scammer has my financial details

If you think you may have inadvertently provided a scammer with your financial details, particularly credit card details, please contact us immediately. We can check your transaction history for you, and if necessary cancel and re-issue any cards.