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Fraud Watch
February 2009 – ATM SKIMMINGWhat is Happening: The majority of compromises have been in high profile areas of Sydney (city) – Elizabeth Street, Kent Street, Haymarket – and appear to have remained undetected during high traffic times. This would indicate an increase in the sophistication and quality of manufacture of the equipment used by the offenders. Measures to protect your card and money!! To avoid becoming a victim of ATM Skimming please take these simple precautions:
• Be aware of anyone acting suspiciously near the ATM; 17th January 2007 – IMPORTANT NOTICE – BPAY Hoax EmailPlease be aware there is a new hoax email in circulation directed at BPAY users. Please disregard any unsolicited communication you have received regarding upgraded security measures for BPAY. It is not an authorized communication. Titled Safe Banking Protection, the email asks recipients to download software as part of an initiative by BPAY to upgrade its security measures. CBA, ANZ, Westpac and St George are specifically mentioned. DO NOT download any software relating to upgraded security measures. 23rd October 2006 – E-SECURITY AWARENESS WEEKThe 23rd October will see the launch of National E-Security Awareness Week, a Government campaign aimed at raising public understanding on how to use the Internet in a safe and sensible manner. Having no security software on your computer is the same as leaving your keys in the front door….protecting yourself is as easy as bringing them inside. Research has shown that people using the Internet for banking are increasingly aware of cyber-crime, but that many people still don’t have appropriate precautions to protect themselves and their financial details. Often spam is regarded as a nuisance, but it can be more than that. It can be a trap to get you to handover your personal banking details. www.staysmartonline.gov.au is a government website that contains details on matters such as personal computer security, how to spot scams and other potentially damaging emails and how to be confident your children are staying safe online. 5th June 2006 – IMPORTANT NOTICE – BPAY Hoax EmailPlease be aware there is a new hoax email in circulation directed at BPAY users. Please disregard any unsolicited communication you have received regarding upgraded security measures for BPAY. It is not an authorized communication. DO NOT download any software relating to upgraded security measures. For further updates visit www.bpay.com.au 1st June 2006 – IMPORTANT NOTICE – Verified by Visa Fraudulent EmailPlease be aware there is currently a fraudulent email being circulated by scammers pretending to be Verified by Visa. The email claims that your Visa card will be blocked in 24 hours unless you confirm your Online Bank records. DO NOT click on any links….DELETE THIS EMAIL All legitimate communication relating to Verified by Visa will continue to be via Queenslanders secure Internet banking site. 27/02/06 Don’t Give Fraud Credit!Every day in Australia, scammers and fraudsters are attempting to trick and scam people out of their hard-earned money. Credit Unions – through the Credit Union Industry Association – have partnered with the Government’s Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce (ACFT) in its SCAMWATCH campaign to alert Australians to common scams and frauds. Credit Unions are active fraud fighters – working with police, government agencies and taskforces. We want our members and the community to become fraud fighters too – and to help the community watch out for scammers and avoid their tricks and scams. This week’s fraud focus :DON’T TAKE THE PHISHING BAIT! Phishing scams – emails that try and trick consumers into revealing their banking details – are increasing every day. More than 16,800 are sent each month to Australian consumers. These scams can look impressive: they look professional and will try to create a sense of urgency. Often, phishing emails and scams will try and exploit computer security to install viruses and other tricks to give them access to your private accounts and details. Credit unions will never approach members asking for their private details in an unsolicated email or other message. Slam the spam: never open an unsolicited email from your financial institution. Last week’s fraud focus: ADVANCE FEE SCAMS Have you ever received a letter or email claiming to be from a business person or government official asking for your ‘help’ to move money out of their country? These scams can look convincing, often claiming to be from Nigeria. There are other types of advanced fee fraud, like scams that offer to ‘fix’ your credit history – for a fee. But if you hand over your bank account details the only money that will change hands will be yours – straight to the scammers. Don’t give them the chance… if it looks too good to be true, it is! Previous week’s fraud focus : LOTTERY SCAMS Don’t be fooled, each day consumers are targeted by fraudsters who trick them into believing they have won large sums of money, even though they never bought a ticket. Nigerian tricksters have been enticing consumers for years to send money for causes that don’t exist and to supposedly release bequests or large sums of cash that NEVER eventuate. CREDIT UNIONS SAY WHEN A SCAM COMES CALLING – DELETE IT, DESTROY IT OR HANG UP. Our Tips for Credit Union Members: Credit Unions nationally have joined forces to fight scammers, Internet ID thieves and those who are waiting to trick our members out of their hard-earned savings. Partnering with the ACFT, credit unions are reminding members “when a scam comes calling, DELETE IT, DESTROY IT or HANG UP!” Our message is clear and simple:
Scams are costing Australians countless dollars each and every day. Don’t give these scammers a chance to take your hard earned money – from dangerous Nigerian scams to fake lottery winnings remember: “IF IT LOOKS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE — IT IS!” Credit unions care about our members: talk to your local branch or credit union manager if you are considering acting on an offer that looks suspicious. For news on spotting a scam, sniff-tests to tell if an offer is PHISHY and ways to avoid being ripped off, check out the Government’s SCAMWATCH website at www.scamwatch.gov.au Remember – credit unions care about members because they are different – as mutuals, our only interest is in the well being of our members and our communities. Urgent Security WarningDear Member, Queenslanders Credit Union is serious about protecting your financial information and ensuring your personal banking details are kept secure. We are placing this message on our website to alert you to the increase in the volume of unsolicited mail (spam) appearing on the Internet, and in particular a fraud scheme known as ‘phishing’ – an email based fraud designed to trick you into unknowingly providing personal financial information to a third party. This form of fraud generally involves the use of a bogus email that may purport to be from someone you know and trust. The email is an attempt to get you to reveal sensitive information including your membership number, password and account numbers. This may be achieved by encouraging you to click on a link which may take you to a bogus website or asking you to open a seemingly harmless attachment. Queenslanders Credit Union has recently become aware of a series of circulating emails purporting to be sent by the Credit Union. Queenslanders will never request you to reveal your password via an email. If you receive an e-mail message similar to the one shown below, we recommend you take the following steps:
This email is fraudulent and was not sent by Queenslanders Credit Union. If you have any questions on the steps you can take to best ensure your online banking facility remains secure or if you suspect that the security of your online banking facility may have been compromised, please contact the Credit Union immediately on (07) 3218 7200 |