Phone scammers cheat tens of thousands of Australians out of many millions of dollars every year. They’re cunning and calculating, but you can make yourself safer by taking some simple steps.
Scam callers almost always seek financial gain.
Frauds are always working on new ways to phone scam, so no list of scams is ever complete. But you can learn a lot more from official Australian Government resources like:
We especially recommend the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s publication the Little Black Book of Scams at www.accc.gov.au/publications/the-little-black-book-of-scams – dealing with phone scams and other kinds of scam as well.
iPhones
Phone scammers cheat tens of thousands of Australians out of many millions of dollars every year. They’re cunning and calculating, but you can make yourself safer by taking some simple steps.
Do you use an iPhone? Make sure you’ve installed the latest version of the iOS operating system and you can ‘silence unknown callers’ in your phone settings.
Any caller that’s not in your contacts list will be diverted to voicemail. Listen to your voicemail, and if you decide the call is legitimate you can return the call, and perhaps add them to your contacts for future calls.
To block an individual number, go to the recent calls screen and press “i” for a number’s “information”. There’s a block option at the bottom of that screen.
In the Apple App Store, you’ll find several apps that may assist in identifying and blocking scam calls. Use the search term “call blocker” to find some options.
Android phones
Is your phone a Samsung, or another Android brand? Your recent calls list in the phone app may offer an option to block each number. If you’ve had calls from a number you don’t trust, consider blocking them.
In the Google Play Store, you’ll find several apps that may assist in identifying and blocking scam calls. Use the search term “call blocker” to find some options.
Landlines – anti-scam handsets
Some phone companies offer handsets with built-in anti-scam features, like “announce” mode, where anyone calling your number needs to announce who they are and then press the “hash key”. This will filter out the autodiallers that many scam callers use.
Landlines – network blocking
Phone network operators may be able to block specific problem numbers if you notify their support team.
You can minimise the risks associated with scam calls.
Protect your personal information
It’s a good rule these days that information about you should only be shared with people you trust, and for good reason. Online, on the phone, or in the ‘real’ world, be discriminating in what personal information you give to strangers.
Don’t share personal information with unknown or unsolicited callers
Has your bank or a government department ever asked your date of birth before talking about your affairs with you? If you tell a scam caller your date of birth, they could answer that security question as if they were you.
Keep all your personal details sensibly secret, especially from callers you haven’t reliably identified. That means name, address, date of birth, which bank you’re with, etc, etc, etc. Unless you know who’s asking, and why, treat all personal data secret.
Contact your financial institution immediately, if you think a scammer has taken your money, or may be able to
Your bank or credit card issuer may be able to stop a transaction or even reverse it, if you act fast. They may be able to temporarily lock a card or account to protect it.
Change default PINs and passwords as soon as you get a new phone or other communications device
Some equipment comes with a preset PIN or passcode (like “1111”) or password (like “Admin”). Change these to personalised ones immediately, or a scammer might guess the PIN, passcode or password very easily.
Choose strong PINS, passcodes and password
Whether it’s the PIN, passcode or password for your bank account, mobile phone handset, an online store or a health fund, make sure it’s not a “weak” one that’s easily guessed, or worked out by a computer – like “1234” or “0000” or “password”, etc).
Use your favourite search engine to search for “how to choose a strong password” or “how to choose a secure password” for a lot of good advice on what makes a secure PIN, passcode or password.
Lock your mobile handset with a secure PIN
Set your mobile handset to auto-lock after a short period of non-use, and set it to require a strong PIN to unlock it. Even if your handset also offers face or fingerprint recognition, a weak PIN (like the current year) may let a fraud access it with ease.
Make sure your voicemail PINs are secure
Does your mobile phone service or landline offer a “voice mailbox” where callers can leave messages? It’s great to be able to check your home messages from another phone when you’re out – but not so great if a scammer can dial in and listen to them as well.
Voicemail services almost always use a PIN to keep out unauthorised persons, but make sure your PIN is strong and secure, Disable PABX ports and features that are not used If your business uses a “PABX”, it’s a powerful system – a “mini phone company in your office”. But some of the powerful tools can be used for fraud.
For instance, some systems let you dial in from outside and divert your office number to wherever you are. But there’s always a risk of a bug that lets a scammer take control of your PABX feature and divert your calls to themself.
Even if the risk is small, why take it if you never actually use that feature?
If you have a PABX or another sophisticated business phone system, check your user manual or contact your product consultant for information about turning off unnecessary or unused features. A feature that isn’t enabled normally can’t be “hacked”.
Change PINs, passcodes and passwords regularly
Using the same PINs, passcodes and passwords for a long time is a security risk. For instance, when online stores are hacked, lists of their customer passwords are often sold on the internet. If you changed your password regularly, the password being offered online would be stale before long – even before a scammer had a chance to use it.
Don’t respond to text messages or missed calls from unknown international or Australian numbers, or unknown callers
The tricks that scammers play with missed calls are explained above. Text messages asking for a call can be traps in the same way. Don’t call back. If the caller is legitimate, they’ll leave a message. If you think you know who it pay have been, contact them by another means (e.g. email, another phone number on an official website, etc) and check if they called.
Block suspicious or unknown international or Australian numbers on mobile handsets and use of blocking services or products, where available, on landlines
This is also explained above.
Let unknown calls to go to voicemail / listen to any message left / decide if this might be a genuine call
It’s explained above how to automatically send calls to voicemail (in some cases). If you can’t do that, you can choose to simply not answer unknown calls. Your own voicemail message might encourage callers to leave a detailed message, so you get enough information to make an informed choice whether or not to call back.
Talk to family or friends
If you’re not sure about a call you have received, talk about it with someone close to you. Two heads can be wiser than one.
Don’t take computer actions at the request or direction of a caller
If someone on the phone whom you don’t positively trust asks you to download or install software, visit a web page, click on a link, fill in a web form or open an email – don’t do it. They could easily be trying to trick you into giving them control of your computer, or otherwise assisting them to scam you.
What to do if you receive scam calls
If you do receive a scam call, you should consider taking action.
You can protect yourself
You can help protect the community
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