Police have warned about a scam in Orange where people are being asked for their online banking log-in numbers over the phone.
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Senior Constable Nikki Hodge told a Police Fraud Forum in Orange on Wednesday the callers were claiming to be from a bank.
“They said ‘your account’s been compromised I need your customer ID number’, so that’s the number they use to log in their online banking.
“They didn’t ask for their password, so that was part of their scam to make them believable.”
The caller then told the people they were sending a security code to their phone which they asked them to read back.
“We’ve had at least two in the last week,” she said.
NSW Police Fraud Squad officer Senior Constable Shawn Schussler, who was in Orange to lead the fraud forum, said the practice was known as ‘phone porting’ which ultimately gave the fraudster access to the victim’s bank account.
Senior Constable Schussler said it was a form of identity theft.
He said other forms of identity theft included stealing mail from letterboxes
People who go on holidays without looking after their mail are most vulnerable.
The ATO will never ask you to pay a tax debt with iTune cards.
- Detective Senior Constable Shawn Schussler, Police Fraud Squad
He said they should get someone to empty their mailbox or go to the post office and get it held.
“We do ask people if you can to put a padlock on your letter box, it makes the crook then have to carry a set of bolt cutters which then helps police. If they stop him late at night he is committing an offence,” he said.
“In Sydney we are getting people with 3-4-5-600 pieces of mail belonging to other people. It is worth a lot of money now.”
He said they can get enough identity information to get loans and credit cards.
Senior Constable Schussler said particularly elderly people were being targeted by dating and romance scams, phony investment schemes, unexpected prize and lottery scams and being conned into paying fake Australian Tax Office debts by buying iTunes cards.
He said the ATO did not cold call people for debts.
“The ATO will never ask you to pay a tax debt with iTune cards,” he said.
He said people needed to be vigilant and use common sense.
“If you didn’t buy a ticket [in a lottery] you are not going to win,” he said.
“Remember, if a stranger knows a quick way to make money, would they really tell you?”
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David Fitzsimons
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
