COMPLAINTS to Telstra about telephone scams has increased four-fold In the past year.
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In most cases, customers are called at home and told they need to pay for technical support to fix a problem that does not exist on their home computer.
The caller falsely claims they are from Telstra and asks for remote access to the computer.
The people running the phone scam appear to want our customers’ identity and in particular their personal banking details.
Telstra Country Wide area general manager for the North Coast Sue Passmore said the significant increase in attempts to deceive customers is concerning.
“Consumers should be alert to any attempts to trick them into disclosing their credit card or banking details over the telephone,” she said. “Telstra is encouraging its customers to protect their personal information and be particularly wary of telephone calls from numbers they don’t recognise.
“The criminals operating these scams are trying to sell customers fake software updates, or trick them into disclosing their personal details over the telephone so those details can then be used illegally.” Reports of telephone scams can be made to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission via the SCAMwatch website, www.scamwatch.gov.au; or customers can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppers.com.au.
Customers can also report a telephone scam toTelstra online via their Misuse of Service Form, via the telephone on 132200, and Telstra 24 x 7. Ms Passmore’s tips to avoid phone scams include never sharing personal, credit card or banking details over the phone, unless you’ve made the call or the phone number came from a trusted source and never giving an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer, and always protecting your computer with regularly updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software.