The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is warning Aussies about scammers pretending to be from NBN and conning victims out of money and personal info.
$28,000 has been lost this year through NBN scams, says the commission.
“Scammers are increasingly using trusted government brands like NBN to trick people into falling for scams,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said on Tuesday. “Their goal is always to either get hold of your money or personal information.”
Three common NBN scams:
– Signing victims up to fake accounts – scammers will ring victims to ‘connect’ them to the NBN network for a low price. They will often demand payment be made through iTunes gift cards.
– Gaining remote access to computers – scammers pretending to be from NBN will call a victim with claims there are problems with their computer.
– Phishing – scammers impersonating NBN will call victims to steal valuable personal information like their name, address, Medicare number, licence number. The scammer may tell the victim they’re entitled to a new router, for example, and say they need these personal details to confirm the victim’s identity.
ACCC tips for protecting yourself:
– If you’re ever in doubt about contact you’ve had from someone saying they’re from NBN, hang up and call your retail service provider to check if the person calling is a fraud.
– You can only connect to the NBN network by purchasing a plan through a phone and internet service provider.
– Never give your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source.
– Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer.
News: Watch out for NBN scams https://t.co/fihSQZKzIZ
— ACCC (@acccgovau) August 21, 2017
