The NSW Police Force has received information about phone scams involving the progress of the NBN.
Police have been told the victims are contacted by phone and offered a credit towards the installation of the network. The caller then asks for credit card details but the money is not transferred.
Police urge the community not to provide any personal information and report the call to local police as soon as possible.
Further, they remind the public to take the following precautions to reduce the risk of being scammed by cold-callers:
- Never provide your personal or banking details to a person who calls you;
- Never provide your financial PIN or account passwords to anyone;
- If you are suspicious about the credentials of a person on the phone, ask questions of them. If they avoid answering or refuse to provide information, hang up;
- Don’t let scammers pressure you – scammers use detailed scripts to convince you that they’re the real deal and create a high-pressure situation to make a decision on the spot;
- If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.
To find out more information about scams or to find out other ways to protect yourself, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au.
If you have been the victim of a scam, you can report scams to the ACCC online at the ‘SCAMwatch report a scam’ page or by calling 1300 795 995. You can also report it to your local police station.
