Keep an ear out for phone scammers

My office has recently received several reports from concerned locals about a similar phone scam that’s being doing the rounds.

The dodgy calls came from someone falsely claiming to represent Telstra and NBN asking for payment of $399 to continue their phone service.

These calls were received by several senior members of the community who were told they had to pay up or get cut off.

Internet and phone service providers will not call up customers, demand money and threaten to cut off customers’ connections, so if you receive a call like this, just hang up.

Victims of scams can report the calls on the Federal Government’s ScamWatch website where there is also information on different types of scams to help people stay alert.

These scams often target our most vulnerable elderly citizens who are maybe less tech savvy and depend on their phone as a main source of contacting relatives and friends.

Make sure you take a look at the list of scams and warn your friends and loved ones to be wary of any suspicious phone calls or emails.

It is estimated that scams cost Australians $634 million in 2019.

Phone, internet, email and text scams made up more than 88% of scams reported to ScamWatch.

For more information go to www.ScamWatch.gov.au.