Sham scams

CASEY residents are urged to watch out for scams after almost 200 were reported to Consumer Affairs last financial year.
Across the state, Consumer Affairs has received more than 6700 reports of scams in the last financial year, up from about 4700 the year before.
People are encouraged not to respond to unsolicited emails, text or phone calls requesting personal information from anyone they don’t know. They are also encouraged to check bank and credit card account statements regularly, look up phone numbers in an independent directory when checking if a request or offer is genuine.
South Eastern Metropolitan Region MP Inga Peulich said one of the scams reported to Consumer Affairs Victoria from Casey in 2010-11 was a consumer who paid $3800 for a car advertised online.
After the consumer transferred the money via a Western Union bank transfer without seeing the car, the advertisement disappeared from the website and they could not get in touch with the trader.
Ms Peulich said another consumer received a letter from a Spanish lawyer telling them they could inherit millions of dollars if they were willing to pay a small processing fee.
People who think they have been approached by a scammer can report it to 1300 55 81 81.