St George Police have received reports of a number of reports of online scams over the past week.
In one incident, a person has purchased a vehicle via online platform for sale. The person has transferred the payment to the seller to later on find out that the seller has taken down the post and no further contact with the seller could be made. The seller and their business was later found to be fake.
In another instance, a person has received a phone call from a person posing to be an Telecommunication employee.
The employee gained the trust of the person by saying that as their valuable customer, they are to receive a new iPhone 12. The person's account number and password was requested for the new iPhone to be sent. This was later found to be fake.
Another person has received a text message stating that an amount of money has been transferred to their account by mistake. The message also stated that the person needs to send this amount of money back to a provided bank account. This was later found to be fake.
A person was working on their computer when a notification appeared. When clicked on the notification, a message appeared stating that Microsoft have locked their account and a phone number was provided.
The person contacted the number and a man at the end of the line has requested access to the person's computer. The person was told that the computer has a virus and having the anti-virus protection, a refund will be issued. The person was asked to open their bank account so the refund will be deposited. The person later discovered money has been transferred without their permission.
Police warned that these scams are becoming more sophisticated and on face value can come across as legitimate or convincing.
Some tips to ensure online safety: always wait until you have confirmation of purchase from your online platform (not provided by the buyer) before sending an item.
Use an online platform that has dispute resolution or form of recourse centre.
Verify the identity of a contact through independent sources and seek independent advice before investing online, Legitimate organisations will not demand money.
Be aware of the fact that scams exist.
Further information can be obtained from; https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/
