Scam alert – “Anti-hacking unit” scam
Members of the Financial and Cyber Crime Group are warning the public of a recent scam involving a caller claiming to be from the Telstra “Anti-Hacking Unit”.
The scammer, claiming to be an employee of the “Anti-Hacking Unit”, calls on an Australian number that general appears to originate from a southern state and tells the victim their email has been hacked.
The victim is instructed to log onto their email. The scammer then identifies overseas originating emails in the account and claims they are proof the email account has been hacked.
The scammer attempts to solicit funds from the victim to catch the perpetrator. Once funds are paid, the scammer calls back seeking further funds, claiming to have caught an offender and needing more money to catch the others responsible.
Detective Superintendent Terry Lawrence of the Financial & Cyber Crime Group said to make sure you are in control of any communications where funds are being requested or your personal identification details questioned.
“It is important people know utility companies will not ring you and seek funds to catch offenders. This is our job. Once the scammers get your information, or money from you, they will come back for more,” Detective Superintendent Terry Lawrence
“If you receive a call from someone outlining you have been hacked or requesting money, just hang up. Should you receive a telephone call or find yourself a victim of a scam like this, report it immediately via ACORN www.acorn.gov.au”
