Manning Great Lakes Local Area Command crime prevention officer Senior Constable Ray Slade has called on the public to be cautious following a spate of scams across the area.

The police LAC has received multiple reports from concerned locals who have received phone calls from someone claiming to be from the Australian Tax Office or Telstra.

The caller then tells the person  they have an outstanding debt and that it must be repaid through gift cards.

A hoax text message – disguised as the Commonwealth Bank – tells receivers their NetBank account has been locked and they must press a link to restore it. 

If pressed, the link can subject users to harmful malware.

An email also was in circulation, claimed to be from Origin Energy. 

The scam claims to be a bill requiring immediate payment from the address noreply@originenergysolar.net.

Another phishing email, branded as the National Australia Bank, encourages receivers to click on a link that unlocks their supposed disabled account.

The scams go as far as a letter disguised as the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network; ironically an avenue for people to report scams.

Sen Con Slade insisted these scams were commonly based overseas and various areas of Australia.

He said the ability of officers to stop the scams was difficult due to the stealthy nature of scammers. 

Sen Con Slade said older residents were more susceptible to scams due to being more trusting and may posses a lack of knowledge with current technology.

He has encouraged residents who receive a suspicious email, letter, text message or phone call to avoid giving out personal information unless the person is certain of the legitimacy.

Any suspicions of a scam should be reported to www.scamwatch.gov.au or call 1300 795 995.