THE increase in telephone scams has forced Telstra to issue a warning with the company saying complaints have increased "four-fold".
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In the past 12 months, the number of comments from customers to Telstra about telephone scams has steadily increased a spokesperson said.
In most cases, customers are called at home and told they need to pay for technical support to fix a problem that doesn’t exist on their home computer.
The caller falsely claims they are from Telstra and asks for remote access to the computer.
The people running the phone scam appear to want our customers’ identity and in particular their personal banking details.
Telstra Country Wide Area General Manager for North West NSW, Mike Marom, said the significant increase in attempts to deceive customers is concerning.
“The criminals operating these scams are trying to sell customers fake software updates, or trick them into disclosing their personal details over the telephone so those details can then be used illegally,” he said.
“The increasing number of these telephone scams is concerning and consumers should be alert to any attempts to trick them into disclosing their credit card or banking details over the telephone.”
“The increasing number of these telephone scams is concerning and consumers should be alert to any attempts to trick them into disclosing their credit card or banking details over the telephone.”
- Telstra Country Wide Area General Manager for North West NSW, Mike Marom
“Telstra is encouraging its customers to protect their personal information and be particularly wary of telephone calls from numbers they don’t recognise.”
Reports of telephone scams can be made to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission via the SCAMwatch website at www.scamwatch.gov.au; or customers can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppers.com.au.
