By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
CASEY police are warning residents to beware of scammers who are calling people at their homes and claiming there is a virus in their computers.
The warning comes after a Hallam resident was allegedly tricked into giving out her credit card and driver’s licence information earlier this month during a three hour phone conversation with a man claiming to be an internet technician from Telstra.
Elizabeth (not her real name) also gave out her home address and phone number after the man told her there was virus on her computer that he could eradicate remotely for a $10 fee.
“He said that he was a technician and that there had been notifications from my computer to Telstra broadband about a virus I had in my computer,” Elizabeth said.
“He asked if I could I turn my computer on because he had to see where the fault was.
“I opened up my computer and he told me to key in a code.
“I gave him access to my computer.”
When Elizabeth realised two days later that she was likely scammed and cancelled her bank cards, a $360 Western Union transaction that she couldn’t account for was allegedly still pending from her credit account.
Elizabeth, who cancelled her accounts before the transaction was processed, realised the alleged scam after speaking to her brother and mother who were also contacted about viruses in their computers by technicians claiming to be from Telstra.
“I just want people to be aware, vulnerable people like myself,” Elizabeth said.
“They’re (scammers) going through the phone book.”
A Telstra spokesman condemned any scams that targeted and deceived its customers.
“The most common phone scam we are seeing currently involves customers who are contacted by the scammers and told they need to pay for technical support to fix a problem that doesn’t exist on their home computer,” the spokesman said.
“Similar to this case, the individuals running the phone scam appear to want our customers’ identity and, in particular, their banking details.”
The spokesman said anyone targeted by the scammers should report the incident to SCAMwatch, a website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
“However, as the majority of these scam calls originate overseas, it is extremely difficult to identify and take direct action against the perpetrators,” the spokesman said.
“The best defence against this activity is prevention and Telstra provides customers with advice about how to handle these types of calls through our website and through broader cyber safety awareness programs.”
Casey CIU Sergeant Nick Svarnias is investigating the suspected fraud incident and emphasised for people to remain alert and aware of identity theft if they are contacted in similar circumstances.
