Westpac scam warning: Recorded phone call exposes the common red flags - 7NEWS
"You can check the number that I'm calling you from today."
To some, it may sound like a bank worker simply helping a customer, but the reality is something far more sinister.
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The comment was used by a scammer trying to convince a Westpac customer to hand over their details as heard in a recording of the call released by the bank on Wednesday. The bank says it's a red flag.
Impersonation scams are among the most common scams currently targeting customers, according to new Westpac data.
Westpac on Wednesday became the first Australian private business to block calls from scammers impersonating the bank, with more than 94,000 Westpac phone numbers now added to a "do not originate list".
The move will stop scammers from impersonating the numbers and using them to fleece money from unsuspecting customers.
Westpac head of fraud Ben Young said there has been a significant increase in scammers using software to mask their phone number with the number of a known business - a tactic known as "call spoofing".
"These scams are incredibly challenging to detect because from the customer's perspective, they appear to be getting a call from say Westpac, when in fact, it's a scammer posing as a member of our fraud team calling from a completely different number," he said.
"The scammer will then use personal information they've fraudulently obtained, like quoting the customer's name or last few digits of their credit card, to convince them the call is genuine."
On alert
And banks are not the only businesses being impersonated.
"We are seeing a variety of cases where scammers appear to be calling from telco or energy providers, online retailers, government organisations, or even pretending to be family members," Young said.
Bondi mum Diana Nikitenko recently lived that reality, when the accountant fell victim to a scammer pretending to be toll road operator Linkt.
Nikitenko received a text message saying she had a failed payment for a toll charge and requested that she settle the outstanding balance. The link appeared to be legitimate, she said, so she entered her details.
A day later, her account was missing $3000 spent on Sephora purchases.
"Even when I called the bank saying I didn't make the transaction to Sephora I didn't link the two together," she told 7NEWS.com.au.
"It was very smart. The perfect scam."
Unsuspecting Australians have also been hard hit by the popular family impersonation scams, which have successfully swindled more than $2 million from victims in recent months.
The messages, which appear in a thread from a contact titled "Mum" or "Dad", ask to borrow money, followed by bank account details for the transfer.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's recommendations to fish out scammers include:
- Do not click on links or open attachments from texts claiming to be from your bank or another trusted organisation and asking you to update or verify your details
- Do an internet search for any references to a similar scam
- Look for the secure symbol on the website to know if it is secure
- Never provide your personal, credit card or online account details if you receive a call claiming to be from your bank or any other organisation. Instead, call your bank to check
- If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately
- Report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page.
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