Don’t answer that phone
If the email scams weren’t bad enough, scammers were also phoning up people or sending SMS messages.
In April 2014, Qantas warned customers to hang up on an automated call scam which claimed they had won a travel prize or credit points worth $999 towards their next holiday.
To claim the prize, the customer was asked to press 1 on their phone. They are then put through to a scammer who will ask if the traveller is over 30 years of age and if they have a valid credit card. The scammer then asks for their credit card details so that the prize can be processed.
However, at the time, a Qantas spokesperson warned that if people hand over their credit card details, money would be siphoned out of their bank account.
Despite efforts by the airline to shut down the scam, it was still operating in August 2014.
Qantas was not the only company having trouble with phone scams.
The cold calling Windows Event Viewer or `eventvwr’ scam, which was investigated by Computerworld Australia in 2009, continues to plague Australians.
The scam involves overseas telemarketers -who claim to be associated with Microsoft- calling up unsuspecting users in Australia from an offshore call centre. The scammer claims that the user’s computer has a virus and that they can remove it for a small fee.
The user is than asked for their details so that the scammer can gain remote access to the victim’s PC.
Once the cold caller has gained access they ask the victim to test the new system by using the Internet and typing in data such as their bank account details.
In August 2014, an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) spokesman said the number of complaints to the Do Not Call Register operator relating to PC Virus/Microsoft impostor calls had "been steady for several months."
ACMA also warned that there is a new twist on the scam which means some cold callers claim to be associated with Telstra, Bigpond or other Australian companies rather than Microsoft.
Bank customers were a target for SMS scams. In September 2014, National Australia Bank (NAB) was warning customers to delete an SMS message that claimed unusual activity has been detected on their bank account.
The SMS re-directed customers to click a link that sent them to a fake NAB website where they were then asked to enter their credit card and personal details.
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