Detecting telephone scams

•  Cold calls from individuals that claim to be from well-known government and private sector organisations. 
• Numbers may appear from Australia or New Zealand, but will likely be routed from offshore. 
• Scammers will look to incentivise individuals to act on something, for example a prize, a grant, an unpaid tax, a virus. 
• Some may even threaten legal action or money loss. 
• Scammers will ask you to “prove” who you are or ask for access to your device. 

Preventative measures: 

•  Good organisations won’t call you and then ask you to prove yourself. 
• Scam calls can be received from landline or mobile numbers and the “Do Not Call” register will only keep honest telemarketers at bay. 
• Don’t feel pressured to act. If you think a call may be legitimate take down the person’s name and number and do your own research. Make sure when you hang up you hear a dial tone – some scammers will pretend to hand up and catch you dialling the real organisation’s number only to pretend to answer it (when they haven’t disconnected from the first call). 
• Don’t think a message left is more legitimate, it’s not. 
• Hang up if you suspect it is a scam and talk to family or friends about it. 

‍

Responding to telephone scams: 

• If you believe that you have experienced a telephone scam contact IDCARE for assistance 1300 432 273 (AUS) 0800 201 415 (NZ).
• Disconnect your device immediately from the Internet if they have gained remote access. 
• Immediately contact your financial institution(s) and inform them of what has happened. 
• Engage service providers and ask what additional security can be put in place. 
• Note down any identifiers of scammers, such as the telephone numbers they have called from. 
• If you believe you have had your licence, passport or other high-risk credential compromised see our Fact Sheet about Credit Reporting Agencies. 

‍

More information 

• ‍In June 2018, 45% of individuals experienced a telephone (remote access) scam. 
• One of the main reasons for believing a telephone scam was the scammer knowing details about an individual (eg. name and address. 
• Another reason for believing a scam was if an individual was experiencing issues with their internet or device.