Watch out! There’s a new scam targeting motorists

A fresh scam is out this week and targeting Queensland motorists, and visitors to the state. 

It comes in the form of a realistic-looking Go Via (the state’s toll network) email statement, which started hitting inboxes en-masse on Monday morning.

The email advises the recipient that their tax invoice for using the toll roads is ready to download, and contains a “download statement” button to click on. However, rather than a tax invoice, the recipient is left with a nasty malware file.  

This is not the first time Go Via customers have been the victims of an email scam. 

The domain used in the scam was registered in China mere hours before the emails started landing in inboxes. 

The Go Via website has a security warning for customers about potential scam emails. 

“Anyone who has received this email should delete it immediately and ensure you do not click on any links provided,” they advise.

“Customers with any queries regarding emails from go via or their account should contact us on 13 33 31.”

MailGuard say that tollway invoice fraud is on the rise, with a similar scam targeting NSW Roads and Maritime Services in June. 

They give the following advice for identifying and avoiding scam emails:

• Generic greetings, such as ‘Dear customer’
• A sense of urgency: “Ensure your invoice is paid by the due date to avoid unnecessary fees”
• Bad grammar or misuse of punctuation and poor-quality or distorted graphics (this attempt isn’t let down by bad grammar, making it more likely some people will take the bait).
• An instruction to click a link to perform an action (hover over them to see where you’re really being directed)
• Obscure sending addresses (for example, goviau.co – go via’s real domain is http://govianetwork.com.au/)

If you think you’ve been the victim of a scam, you can contact the ACCC’s Scam Watch to report it. 

Have you ever fallen victim to a scam like this?