Protect yourself from COVID-19 related scams
Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of current events with over 2000 coronavirus-related scams reported to Scamwatch Australia over the last few months [1]. The most commonly reported are phishing scams aimed at gaining access to your personal and banking information.
What do these scams involve?
These unsolicited emails, text messages or calls involve fraudsters impersonating government agencies, superannuation, insurance or banking organisations providing information on COVID-19 and ‘phishing’ for your information.
How can you protect yourself?
If you’ve received a text message or email, don’t click on any hyperlinks and delete the message- even if it appears to come from a trusted source.
If you’ve received a call, don’t give out any personal information and hang up. You can verify the caller’s identity by doing your own research to find the organisation’s contact number and calling them directly. Remember, if you’re talking to a real MOVE Bank representative, this won’t be a problem.
What do I do if I think I’ve been scammed?
If you have reason to believe you have provided your personal or banking details to a scammer, please contact us immediately. Help us keep other members safe by reporting any suspicious calls as soon as possible on 1300 362 216.
We encourage you to be extra alert during this time, especially as scams are becoming more sophisticated and likely to increase over the coming weeks and months.
To stay up to date with the latest scam information and tips on how to respond, visit scamwatch.gov.au
[1] https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/current-covid-19-coronavirus-scams
