ACCC says over-60s repeatedly falling for fake energy bill scams

SAS readers pride themselves on spotting a scam, but thousands of over-60s are falling victim to scammers every year and losing their hard-earned savings in the process. 

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued a fresh warning to over-60s, urging them to beware of scammers impersonating energy and telecommunications providers after a surge of complaints. 

“Older Australians should particularly be wary of emails pretending to be from utility companies, with people over 65 reporting the most fake utility billing scam incidents,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

The scammers typically pose as well-known companies such as Origin, AGL, Telstra and Optus via email, “to fool people into assuming the bills are real”, Rickard said.

“They send bulk emails or letters which include a logo and design features closely copied from the genuine provider. The bill states the account is overdue and if not paid immediately the customer will incur late charges or be disconnected. Alternatively, the bill may claim that the customer has overpaid and is owed a refund or it may simply say the bill is due and ready to pay.”

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Scamwatch has received 5,000 reports of fake billing scams in the last 12 months, with reported losses of close to $8,000.

New South Wales residents reported the highest rate of the fake billing scam, with 1,779 households falling victim. Queensland meanwhile, reported 1,275 cases, and Victoria had 1,245.  The remaining states and territories all reported between 38 and 485 cases of the scam. 

While many people assume they’d be able to recognise a fake bill if one landed in their inbox or letterbox, scammers go to great lengths to ensure the bogus letters closely match the real thing. 

Last month, Origin warned consumers against a fake email claiming to be from the energy company. The provider said the scam was disguised as an electricity bill, but was actually a sneaky ploy to tamper with your computer. Origin issued an alert on their website, advising clients to not click any links in the email.

So how can you protect yourself from the scam? If you receive a suspicious email, Rickard says to contact your communications or energy provider immediately, to verify that the email or letter.

“Customers should never use the contact details provided on the suspicious email or letter but instead use an independent source to locate contact details such as a past bill or the phone book,” she added. 

You can also compare the bill with your old letters or emails from your provider to make sure all the details match up exactly. Be sure to take careful notice of the email address as scammers will often change a single letter or number to make it hard to spot the difference. Double-check biller codes and account numbers as well as any contact numbers provided on the page. 

The ACCC advises to never click on links or open attachments in suspicious emails and to never send money or personal information by email or over the phone

Are you confident you’d be able to identify an email scam? Have you been caught out in an email scam?