General News
27 October, 2022
Residents urged to be on the look out for scams
Victoria Police cybercrime squad detectives are warning Australians about a remote access scam, disguised as an assist to ‘fix an issue’. Scammers have been reported to call pretending to be from a well-known organisation such as Apple, Amazon...
Victoria Police cybercrime squad detectives are warning Australians about a remote access scam, disguised as an assist to ‘fix an issue’.
Scammers have been reported to call pretending to be from a well-known organisation such as Apple, Amazon, the Australian Government or a major bank, stating that victims have been charged for a purchase they didn’t make, that malware has been installed on their computer or that there is something wrong with their internet.
They will tell the victim to download remote control software such as AnyDesk, TeamViewer or Zoho Assist.
Cybercrime Squad Detective Sergeant John Cheyne said remote access scams have already cost victims approximately $4 million in under five months.
“These types of scam target and impact all age groups and can be really convincing. Remote access scams are also one of the fastest growing scam types in Australia,” he said.
Once the scam is successful, the scammers have almost unlimited access to personal information such as passwords and banking details.
“If you receive one of these calls, your best defence is to hang up the phone. If you think the call may have been legitimate, independently source the official contact details for that organisation to contact them directly yourself,” Det Sen Cheyne said.
“If you think you’ve been victim to a remote access scam, call your bank immediately and let them know before reporting the matter to ReportCyber. If you’ve installed any apps or programs, delete them from your device.”
If you have been a victim of cybercrime, you can contact the Maryborough Police Station on 5460-3300 or use online forums such as ReportCyber or Scamwatch which will assess the report and provide them to police.
Anyone with knowledge of these incidents and those responsible, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppers.com.au