An Australian man has issued a warning after receiving a text message from a scammer posing as ANZ Bank telling other potential victims to check the phone number the message came from.
The scam text said a large payment to Qantas had been dropped and advised the recipient to call a number if it was a surprise.
“About three minutes ago, $6850.00 was held back to the merchant QANTAS. If this comes as a surprise to you, please contact us on 1800 95 32 85,” it said.
The man admitted that the text message looked “legitimate,” but there was a telling clue that it was a scam.
ANZ Bank’s official phone number is 13 33 44, while scammers often use the number provided in the text message: 1800 95 32 85.
It’s also very unlikely that legitimate companies or banks will ever contact you via SMS with such information – but to confirm, you’ll need to call the number on the back of your bank card.
The same number is also used by scammers posing as NAB Bank.
“I received a text claiming it was NAB Bank, and they asked me to call 1800 953 285,” said another Aussie.
“A man with a British accent answered the phone and very quickly asked for an ID check without identifying himself.
“I called NAB to verify and was told they don’t have this number, nor will they leave a number or link in the text asking customers to click or call back, stay alert.”
The Twitter user posted a screenshot of a text message they received on Tuesday from ‘ANZ Support’ stating that a large payment to the airline had been ‘stopped’ (pictured, an ANZ bank in Sydney)
The recipient of the text (pictured) posted a screenshot of the scam attempt on Twitter on Tuesday and admitted the message looked “legitimate”
It comes after Scamwatch warned Australians not to be tricked into opening scam text messages sent by sophisticated hackers.
Phishing scams are attempts to trick people into giving out personal information such as bank account numbers, passwords and credit card numbers.
The scammer will pretend to be from a legitimate company, such as a bank, phone, or internet service provider, to trick people into giving up personal information.
They sometimes send alerts about “unauthorized” or “suspicious” activity on an account and ask if the recipient has authorized the payment.
If people reply that they don’t, the scammer takes the opportunity to confirm credit card information so the bank can “investigate.”
Phishing messages often look real and scammers even copy the branding and logo of the organization they are trying to impersonate.
Scamwatch advises not to open any links or attachments from emails claiming to be from people’s bank or phone or internet service.
“Approximately 3 minutes ago $6850.00 was withheld from merchant QANTAS, if this comes as a surprise to you, please contact us on 1800 95 32 85,” the scam text read
The regulatory agency recommends doing an internet search using the names or exact wording of the email or message to check for scam references.
People can also search for a secure symbol on secure websites using a closed padlock or unbroken key item in the bottom right corner of a browser.
Scamwatch recommends that people contacted by scammers ask for their name and contact number before independently contacting the organization.
As of January 2023, Australians have lost a total of $2,902,256 to phishing scams, with nearly 10,000 people reporting being scammed.
Most of the scams occurred over the phone, followed by SMS, followed by mobile applications, and on the web.
The majority of people scammed were over the age of 65, with women accounting for 75.4 percent of the scams and men accounting for the remaining 23.2 percent.
Qantas has been approached for comment.
How to protect yourself from phishing scams:
Phone scammers try to steal your money or personal information. Scams can happen through phone calls from real people, robocalls, or text messages.
Call or message could be a scam if:
- You are asked for personal information or money;
- Text messages tell you to urgently click on a link or call a number;
- The call or text pretends to be from someone you trust, such as your telephone company or bank;
- You are threatened or frightened;
- The caller wants to access and control your computer.
To protect yourself:
- Don’t answer if you don’t know who it is.
- Let the call go to voicemail.
- If a caller leaves a message claiming to be from a known organization, check the number the call came from and the organization’s official website.
- Never share personal information about yourself or your bank details.
- Don’t click on any links.
- Never let a stranger take control of your computer.
- Don’t send money.