How to spot a scam

According to SBS Australia, it was reported that Australians lost $2.74 billion in scams in 2023. While this annual figure reduced for the first time in the last seven years, no one can afford to be complacent when it comes to being a victim to scammers.

To help prevent this happening to you, here are some suggestions on what to look out for, to make sure that you’re not in that situation:

According to www.scamwatch.gov.au, here are some examples of different scams and what to look out for:

Phishing scam: bank SMS

These have been doing the rounds for a while now and you may have received a new SMS from your bank. Always check these closely! There are five signs that this may be a scam:

1. Scammers can make messages look real. Even if you’ve previously received a legitimate SMS message from the same number, don’t assume all of the following messages are real. Scammers can ‘spoof’ real phone numbers or email addresses, to make it appear that they come from your actual bank or another legitimate contact.
2. It's different in style from a previous SMS. you may receive texts that are not the same as previous texts received from trusted sources – if you’re not sure, reach out to the sender and don’t click on any links until you confirm if its legitimate. It tells you to log into your account but provides no links that could lead to potentially malicious websites.
3. It has a malicious link. Scam SMS messages can contain a link to a phishing website. These types of websites attempt to trick you into giving out personal information such as your bank account details, passwords and credit card numbers. Even if you think the text might be real, it’s safer not to click on any links, and to log into your account by typing your bank’s URL (Uniform Resource Locator) directly into the address bar. The address bar appears at the top of your web browser, and the numbers and letters that make up the URL are the directions to the website or webpage
4. It's not secure. Legitimate sites containing sensitive information will use https not http in the web address, but don’t rely on this alone — some scam sites use https too.
5. It has a sense of urgency. Scams often try to create a sense of urgency. Don’t rush — take the time to think about what the message is telling you to do and consider whether it’s real.

Phishing scam: mail delivery

Consider this - You’ve recently purchased something online and you’re waiting for it to be delivered. You receive an email about a failed delivery and it’s asking you to update your details. Before you click on the link, you should carefully consider the email again and look out for indicators that the email is a scam.

What are the indicators that the email is a scam?

1. You can't confirm who it's from. Check that the sender email address is authentic. If you’re unsure, contact the business directly using contact details that you've sourced independently, and you know are legitimate.
2. It has spelling and grammatical errors. These types of errors are a sign that it could be a scam.
3. It has a request for you to do something. The email is trying to obtain your personal details. If scammers gain access to your personal information, they can potentially steal your identity or target you with a scam. Be cautious when providing your details.
4. It has a malicious link. Don’t just be wary of attachments. Watch out for links to phishing websites. It’s safer to go directly to the service provider’s website by typing the URL directly into the address bar.
5. There's a sense of urgency. Scammers try to create a sense of urgency to encourage you to do something quickly. Don’t rush — as mentioned above, take the time to consider and check whether an email is real.

This might sound like a ‘bit of hard work’ but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. After all, you’re protecting yourself from losing your identity, or your money … or both.