Scam Reports Skyrocket
Scammers are increasingly likely to use the names and reputations of reputable organisations in their attempts to deceive Victorians.
Reports of scams from the 2010-11 financial year show scammers will often use the names of government departments and major businesses in their attempts to steal from unsuspecting victims.
Scammers often pose as legitimate institutions, pretending to be from companies such as Microsoft or Sensis Yellow Pages or government agencies including the Australian Tax Office, the Department of Treasury and even Consumer Affairs Victoria.
The most common scams reported to Consumer Affairs Victoria between 2010-11:
The computer repair or Microsoft scam (more than 1,300 reports):
- the victim is contacted out of the blue over the phone and told their computer has a virus
- the scammer tells the victim they need remote access to their computer to fix the virus and then uses remote access to steal banking or other personal details
- on some cases they may tell the victim that they have 'fixed' their computer and charge them a fee for the service.
Reclaim scams (more than 2,000 reports):
- victims are contacted by phone, mail or email, and told they are owed money by a reputable agency or organisation such as a government department
- the scammer tells the victim that to receive the money they are owed, they need to pay a processing or other fee for the service.
Rental scams (117 reports):
- fake advertisements for rental or holiday rental properties, usually online
- the scammer will advertise a property at a very low price to get your attention and, usually, will try and trick you into paying an upfront fee
- turns out that the property either does not exist or the scammer does not actually own it.
Reports about scams made to Consumer Affairs Victoria have been steadily increasing since 2007:
- 2,700 reports in 2007-08
- 4,223 in 2008-09
- 4,708 in 2009-10
- more than 6,770 in 2010-11.
Victims range from elderly people living alone to small businesses that are approached by what looks like a legitimate offer but turns out to be a scam.
One of the most common scams affecting small businesses are business registry scams. In the 2010-11 financial year, Consumer Affairs Victoria received around 140 reports about this type of scam.
Sometimes known as a domain name scam, this scam works when businesses are sent what looks like an invoice to pay for registration of their company's domain name (internet address). Often the domain name is incorrect or the company that is charging you is not actually the one previously used.