Jack Harris, Author at Peninsula Interactive

24 10 2022

Casey Grange Village | All About Scams

Jack Harris Casey Grange Village, Digital Skills, Get Online Week, Scams

Like it or not scams are becoming more and more present in our day to day lives. Its vital now more than ever to be street smart and learn the basic skills that you can to help identify and respond to scams. It was fantastic to come out and speak to the residents of Casey Grange Village about scams and travel for get online week 2022. These discussions and events are so important at raising awareness and giving residents the tools they need to be safe online.

Almost daily we hear about hacking, scams and data breaches but what do they really mean? Before we dive into some scam examples its briefly touch on the difference between a scam and a hacking incident.

How are scams different to hacking or viruses?

Scams difference themselves from traditional hacking or viruses as they target the person not the device (Computer, Smart Phone, Tablet). This means that a scammer will attempt to deceive a person into being complicate in the scam and assisting them in their actions. At first this may sound extremely scary! but our involvement in this means that we can build a series of skills to help us identify a scam and prevent it taking place.

In 2022 the most common type of scam is known as the phishing scam, whist this is spelt with a “ph” it shares its meaning with the traditional word fishing, that is to say the scammer will dangle some bait, this may be positive, for example “you have a package waiting or you” or “you have a pending tax back payment” but these may also be negative for example “a illegal payment has been made, login to cancel it”. When we talk about and consider the bait its core idea is that it will want you to take some action from with in the communication. As the end user to prevent the scam we need simply to stop and take no action.

Image Credit: Getty Images

How do i spot scams?

As we know a phishing scam will focus on luring the affected user in with in with bait with the intent being that the user takes some action that the scammer can manipulate. These process is largely the same across all the communication types, texts, emails and phone calls. To identify a scam consider the following items:

Does the communication want you to take some impediment action?
Does the communication provide you with a link or button to press?
Does the communication have bait (A positive or negative action you wish to happen or avoid) ?

If the phone call, text or email meets any of the criteria above, its highly probable that it is a scam! Regardless of the negative or positive bait most organizations will state that something is happening on a text, but not provide a link, for example lets consider this text message communication for the Australian Taxation office below.

Real ATO text message

Scam ATO text message

We can see that this text message claims to be from the ATO, and would have the criteria of bait or a positive action. However the biggest give away that this is a legitimate communication, not a scam is that it is not asking for any further action to be taken via the text. This means that if we received a communication that showed “Click here to claim your $1000 rebate now” then that would ring some alarm bells as we have a positive action, and a attempt or want for us to take imminent action. For those of you who use MyGov you will notice a slimier trend with communications MyGov will often text us “You have a new message login to view it” but will never provide us a link to click in the message.

These tips do not mean that in our use of the internet we will never receive links in communications. For example when we want to reset our password we are often emailed a link to do so. So its important that we consider if we have initiated any action.

In the example of a password reset we would only receive the email after going to a website or app and then requesting to reset our password. So we can be fairly certain that it is a legitimate communication and one we started/requested. Like wise apply that same rule to phone calls, have you called the bank and requested a call back? if so then maybe its a legitimate call. If not then treat it with skepticism.

Bendigo bank login scam

Lets now look at another example, this is a scam text message i have received that is claiming my account is under view and that to restore it i must click the link and login (Image shown below). We can see that in this text message we have bait, in this case a negative action that is stating that the account is under review and that i must restore it.

Further more we can then see that we are given a link or some immediate action that we can take to resolve the issue. When receiving communication like this the best course of action would be to not click the link, and to instead call the bank via their phone number and confirm that this is a scam. Remember that all we need to do to prevent the scam is take no further action from the link or message its self, this how ever does not mean that we cannot follow up directly via going to a branch or calling the real bank phone number.

Bendigo Bank Scam Text

This scam works by having the victim login to the scammers website instead of the real bank, this will allow the scammer to capture the login details of the user, including access id (user name / account number) and password. Scammers will go to alot of trouble to make these scam websites as convincing as possible, blow are two screenshots comparing the realBbendigo bank website (Right) to the fake Bendigo bank website (left).

Fake Bendigo Bank Website

Real Bendigo Bank Website

Always remember that if you want to follow up on a text or communication from a scammer to see if its real do not click the links or login. Go to a different device and call the bank or company, call a first or show it to a neighbor. Take some time to consider if its real or not, never rush or panic.

Summery

When you receive a phone call, text or email claiming to be from a company that wants you to take some imminent action always take a step back and slow down. Then follow the steps below:

Ask yourself? is their bait that is trying to lure me towards an action?
Have i initiated this conversation (if a phone call) ?
Does the other party want me to take some imminent action? for example login to your bank?
Would their be a negative action taken ageist me if i do not take the action? (threat)

If any one or a number of these ring true for you always proceed with caution. Call a family member or neighbor and ask them what they thank? Call the correct company from a different device and ask them if its real or not? Never, Never, Never login and transfer money or provide your banking details.

Marthas Cove Village | All About Scams

Author: Jack Harris

Date: 24/10/2022

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Casey Grange Village | All About Scams