If you’ve been slammed with unknown numbers and robotic voices telling you that your tax bill is overdue or your computer has been hacked, we sympathise with you. Scam callers and texters have been blowing up our phones, bombarding us with a range of ploys to get us to hand over our personal information and hard earned cash. But you can protect yourself from phone scams by following these tips:
If you don’t recognise the number, don’t answer. If you Google the number, you’ll often find that others have reported it on websites such as Reverse Australia and they’ll provide details if the number is from a telemarketer or scam caller.
Don’t ever disclose your personal information, such as your bank details, passwords or other sensitive information. Whatever you do, don’t ever send through money!
If you keep getting the same repeat callers, make sure you block them.
You may get shifty looking text messages as well, so make sure you look for bad spelling and grammar and don’t click on links in suspicious text messages.
Scammers will pretend to be a trusted authority from a company such as a bank or the government, if you’re unsure whether they're legit, Google search the number and double check. Companies such as banks or the government will never ask you to divulge personal information such as your bank account details over the phone and those random callers who do, will almost certainly be scammers.
Be extremely wary if someone calls saying you've won a prize or that there's money waiting for you. Get them to confirm their details and Google their phone number and company name to see if they match.
Some scammers may lie and tell you that your computer has been hacked and needs urgent attention, this can be a ploy to get you to hand over your password so they can hack your computer, so be aware.
You can find out more about phone scams and other sorts of scamming here. If you have a company issued phone and think you may be getting scammed or have gotten scammed, contact IT support who can help.
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If you have any questions or need extra support, we're here to help you anytime in any language. Simply start a chat with us via the home screen of the Sonder app to connect to our team of qualified, caring health professionals.
Information sourced from: Australian Communications and Media Authority
Image credit: Jonas Leupe on Unsplash
All content is created and published for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health professional.