Scam calls, texts, and now emails have become incessant lately during the Covid-19 pandemic. Scamwatch is now warning Australians of a new email scam, where the sender looks like MyGov and is claiming to be Service NSW.
The emails ask you to click on a link to claim a $400 subsidy, which then takes you to a website that looks very similar to myGov — but be warned! This has now been identified as a hefty scam.
As scams continue to run rampant across Australia, with four major scams being identified in October alone, it first started with calls. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), many of the financial losses are from phone-based scams, which make up $63.6 million worth of losses.
The most recent nationwide scam call in mid-October went so far as to threaten victims with arrest, as the caller claimed to be from the Australian Border Force.
From scam calls to email scams, now the scammers are reverting back to text messaging – and they’re getting creative – by now impersonating Australian banks. On Tuesday, Scamwatch warned Aussies not to click any links that are sent by an unknown number claiming you’ve made a payment to ‘OSKO’.
Twitter users were quick to comment, with one user expressing enthusiasm for the scam, saying, “But, but, but … This is comedy gold … BOSKO, good one. SERIOUSLY: if you get a laughable but dangerous scam text, take a screenshot (for the comedy memory) then delete the text. That way you can’t accidentally click the link.”
Avoid falling victim to scammers by: