The latest news from Cafestudy

Scamming - what effect does it have on you?

The latest news from Cafestudy

Posted by: Caféstudy

20th Feb 2015 10:22am

Recently we asked you about your experiences with scammers. We wondered what kind of scams you have received, and what you do about it.
Scamming has become so varied and widespread that almost all of you could recall at least one recent incident. The most common type of scams you mentioned were emails telling the recipient they were entitled to money in some way, and should send their personal details through in order to claim it. Big companies which scammers claimed to be from included Microsoft, Telstra, Optus and several of the banks. Some people even received emails telling them to change their bank or login details because they had already been scammed!

It seems however that you are quickly cottoning on to these ploys, and are sceptical of any communications asking for personal information. Overseas calls in particular are viewed with suspicion. Scamming has become so common and you are so aware of it that some of you even wonder if the genuine communications are scams. As one of you said “I have received genuine emails that I thought were scams and I only realised when the bank actually sent me a letter by snail mail!”

So what are you doing about it? Well, you are turning to the companies which the scammers are claiming to represent. We found that scamming is in fact increasing consumer trust in the big companies, with people turning to them for help in the fight against scammers. Goodwill is high; you recognise it is not the company’s fault. Maggie said specifically of Telstra that “it does not make me mistrust Telstra more as it is not Telstra’s fault that people are out there pretending to be them.” Macgyver7 said “it has brought me closer to Telstra, because of the sound advice by a staff officer.”The fight against scammers could just be a useful tool in building a bridge of trust between you, the consumers, and the big companies.

shelly47
  • 17th Apr 2015 01:59pm

Hi just noting I have been subjected to a scam with replying to an invitation to complete a survey for Woolworths. As I am a member for Woolwoths Everyday Rewards program and have regular e mails sent from them I was unaware that it was a hoax email asking to do a survey about customer care! I filled in the questions which required giving bank details so they could send a reward of $30 for doing the survey. I had previously been sent an email with a deal to do shopping for 3 weeks and spend a minimum $100 each wk to receive a $30 reward, so I was naive to think this new email was legitimate. They said it could take 4 to 6 weeks to receive the reward and when nothing came through I stRted to be a bit concerned. After checking out the Woolworths webpage I found a warning about it being a scam! I then had txt on my mobile stating my visa debit card had been suspended as someone had tried to use details to purchase airline tickets for more than $1200 and there was insufficient funds in my account to cover and it looked suspicious. So I rang my bank and they said I was very lucky that I had only a small balance in my account and that I had been scammed. I then had to get new cards and change my PIN numbers etc. and notify the ICAC and Woolworths concerning the scam.
I would recommend everyone to be very careful in future and if you use a bank account to receive survey rewards to only leave a small balance in this account to be safe. It can happen to anyone!


Cancel