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War veteran loses $18,000 to Netflix scam

Shane Arnold, 71, was left with nothing after he fell for an elaborate Netflix scam, allegedly run by a teenager. The war veteran was robbed of $18,000 when he thought he was entitled to a refund after receiving a fake Netflix email. After he entered his personal banking details, the accused scammer allegedly used this information to call Arnold the following day claiming to be a security officer from Commonwealth Bank. "(It was) extremely convincing," Arnold told 9News. "He spoke in a posh English accent." Arnold was allegedly told by a 19-year-old, whose voice had been disguised with AI, that his account had been compromised and ordered to put his bank cards in a bag, to be collected by a driver. Hours later, the accused teen who is from Braybrook, Melbourne allegedly withdrew thousands of dollars from ATMs in Braybrook and West Footscray, and purchased dozens of gift cards from Kmart. He also allegedly filled up on fuel, bought a new iPhone, and some strawberry milk and ice cream. The teen has since been charged over the incident, but Arnold is still fighting hard to get his money back. "I've worked for 50-odd years to get that money," he told the publication, adding that he felt "like my heart had been ripped out". The senior also claimed that the bank was partly to blame, and has lodged a report to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) who are currently managing his case. Arnold added that Commonwealth Bank had only offered to reimburse him $1000, and said that everyone who'd been scammed deserved to have their money returned to them. "I hope all those people get their money back," he said. "None of them deserved to be scammed and none of them did anything wrong." Images: Nine News

Legal

"It was devastating": Grandfather loses $1 million in scam before his death

A "vulnerable" and "lonely" grandfather lost over $1 million in a complex scam in the months before he died, with his son now issuing a warning to others. Adrian Heartsch was described by his family as a "frugal" man, who had no experience with online banking before becoming involved in the scam. “Unless he knew exactly what he was paying for – he wouldn’t pay for it,” his son Simon Heartsch told A Current Affair. “I said to him if somebody can scam you, they can scam anybody.” He soon connected with someone online, who called themselves a woman named Vida and charmed him with sweet talk and pet names, and soon earned his trust. “He wasn’t alone, but he was lonely. He had no company, he didn’t even have his dog anymore to talk to,” his son told ACA. “So I guess he’s vulnerable in that way.” The woman convinced Mr Heartsch to send her several Apple gift cards, claiming he would be given over $20 million worth of gold bars or gold bullion in return. She also promised the grandfather that she would come to Australia and live “happily ever after” with him. Simon only discovered the truth about his father's finance and the long-running scam when Adrian landed in hospital. “We brought up these emails that were just gobsmacking,” he said. “The story grew from $300,000 to $600,000 to up and up and up … over a million dollars.” The ruse had been going on for three years, and saw Mr Heartsch buy up to $10,000 worth of Apple gift cards from several shops in a single day. Simon said his father was “mortified” after learning the truth and didn’t want to pursue a case with the police. The scam cost the 77-year-old almost everything, robbing him of his savings, truck and caravan, leaving him with only his home. Shortly after, Mr Heartsch fell “sicker and sicker” as his health deteriorated, and he passed away a month after his family learned of the scam. “It was like all this was the nail in the coffin, it was devastating for him, his whole life savings he’s lost,” said Simon. Adrian's family went searching for answers, and with the help of a cyber security expert, discovered that the scammer was operating out of Ghana in West Africa. Following his father’s death, Simon urged others to watch out for loved ones who may be vulnerable to “horrible” scammers. “They’re ruining peoples’ lives. They’re speeding up people’s deaths,” he said. “They’re preying on the vulnerable.” Image credits: A Current Affair

Legal

“Unbelievably legitimate”: Deb Knight falls victim to popular scam

Deb Knight has shared how she fell victim to a popular scam, losing $1,200 while trying to get Taylor Swift tickets for her daughter's birthday. Like many people around Australia, the veteran journalist was eager to get her hands on tickets to the highly anticipated Eras Tour as a once in a lifetime surprise for her eight-year-old daughter's birthday present. After missing out on tickets through all official channels, Deb thought hope was lost, until a friend reached out to her. “A really good friend, who I’ve known all my life, contacted me and said, ‘do you still want Taylor Swift tickets?’” Knight told A Current Affair. “It was my daughter’s eighth birthday and getting my hands on these tickets would be the best present ever." “My friend put me in contact with her friend who had the tickets – or so I thought.” Knight had received a phone call from her close friend who said her cousin was selling tickets, but unbeknownst to everyone involved, the friend’s Facebook account had been hacked. Deb promised to pay half the cost of the tickets as a bond, then pay the rest after she had seen the tickets, which she said looked “unbelievably legitimate". Tech expert Trevor Long joined Deb on ACA, and noticed one major error about the fake tickets. “The difference is a genuine Taylor Swift ticket in an Apple Wallet right now does not have that barcode.” Alarm bells started ringing for the veteran journalist when the so-called seller said the payment had not come through, but by then it was too late. Deb contacted her bank but it was too late to get her $1,200 back, and her hunt to find Taylor Swift tickets continued. “I realised I’d been scammed. I felt sick to the stomach, absolutely humiliated. I also felt embarrassed and ashamed,” she said. “I was reluctant to speak publicly about this but I think we’ve got to. We have to normalise it so people feel there’s less of a stigma about it." “It happens to everyone, even Deb Knight – it’s disgusting, what’s happening, so something needs to be done.” Police have warned Swifties who missed out on tickets to the singer’s upcoming tour not to fall prey to ticketing scams, and only to purchase tickets through official channels such as Ticketek marketplace. Since tickets for the Eras tour went on sale last June, and subsequently sold out in record timing, Victoria Police said there had been more than 250 reports of ticketing scams for Taylor Swift shows alone. Image credits: A Current Affair

Money & Banking

"Too good to be true": Bank teller saves couple from losing $40k

A Tasmanian couple have been saved from losing $40k into an online investment scam after a bank teller noticed the red flags. The couple visited the NAB branch in Rosny, Hobart after their account was blocked during an attempt to transfer the money to an ‘online investment firm’ in Perth. The payment was the first of two instalments that they were set to pay the "firm" but NAB Customer Advisor Erin Bugg saved them from a massive loss. Bugg became suspicious of the firm after they promised a 12 per cent return on their term deposit and a guaranteed pay out if the firm went bust. “If there was a scam red flags bingo card, ‘online investment opportunity’ would be top of the list,” the NAB Customer Advisor said. “Immediately, alarm bells went off for me. It sounded like an investment scam and I was concerned this couple could lose their life savings.” The couple, however, insisted that they weren't being scammed so Bugg decided to look into the matter further and found a website and article about the firm. When she looked into the rates they offered she realised it “was literally too good to be true." “No one likes to be told they’re being lied to, especially when they feel like they’ve done all the right things. They had done their own research, and even spoken to the company on the phone,” she said. She added that "alarm bells" started ringing when the wife explained that a man from the firm kept calling her to thank her for the investment and encourage her to open an account. The couple then rang the "firm" in front of Bugg to try and convince her it was real. “I declined to speak to the ‘firm’, but I could hear them telling the customers, ‘Oh, NAB always flags us as a scam’,’” she recalled. NAB’s fraud team then informed them that the firm had a bank account at another bank, and to call the bank to confirm whether it was legit. After calling the other bank, they found that the account was not connected to the investment firm and suggested them to not transfer anything. “It was such a relief to hear from the customer that they’d avoided being scammed,” Bugg said. This comes after Scamwatch received over 7,000 reports of investment scams collectively costing Aussies over $275 million in the last year. Image: NAB

Money & Banking

Kyle and Jackie O's kind act for mother and daughter who got scammed

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O have given away their own tickets to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, to a mum and her nine-year-old daughter, after the duo got scammed out of $1200. Sam, had attempted to purchase the concert tickets for her young daughter Charlie, but instead of getting tickets she got scammed and was left heartbroken. The radio stars were touched by their story, and immediately jumped into action to make the mother-daughter's day better. “Hi Charlie, Kyle and Jackie O have come to the rescue with free concert tickets. We are going to give you our tickets so you can go see her for free," Kyle told the nine-year-old. In a post shared on Instagram, Charlie was filmed bursting into tears when she realised she would be seeing her idol after all. “I couldn’t have a little sweetheart like you be so excited to see her but then have someone steal the tickets. So, you’re going to go see her,” Kyle added. The mother-daughter duo were filmed hugging each other in happiness. This comes after The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch received 273 reports of people being scammed while buying tickets to The Eras Tour via social media. Images: Instagram

Money & Banking

Aussie grandma and former Greens candidate jailed in Japan claims she was scammed

Donna Nelson, a 57-year-old Perth grandmother, has found herself entangled in a nightmarish situation in a Japanese prison, accused of a crime she vehemently denies. Nelson, an Aboriginal health advocate and former Greens candidate, has been incarcerated for nearly a year without a trial date set, facing allegations of attempting to smuggle two kilograms of meth into Japan. However, her plight is not as straightforward as it may seem, and her family and legal team are tirelessly fighting to clear her name. The ordeal began on January 4, when Nelson was arrested at Narita Airport in Tokyo. Authorities claimed to have discovered drugs concealed within a false compartment in her luggage. According to the prosecution, a customs officer suspected her of acting suspiciously. But the narrative has taken a complex turn as Nelson's defence team unveiled a shocking revelation: she alleges she was deceived and manipulated by a Nigerian scammer who had groomed her for two years. Since her arrest, Nelson has been confined to Chibu prison, located an hour outside Tokyo. Her living conditions are appalling; she spends 23 hours a day isolated in her cell, showers are allowed only every three days, and communication with other inmates and visitors is strictly prohibited. This form of treatment is a reflection of Japan's infamous "hostage justice" strategy, aimed at coercing confessions from detainees. The only individuals granted access to Nelson are her lawyers, Australian embassy representatives, and a pastor. Legal representatives have identified a significant issue with translation throughout the case, and it could very well hinge on an inaccurate translation by the customs officer at the time of her arrest. Rie Nishida from Shinjuku International Law Firm, one of Nelson's lawyers, explained, "The main evidence from the prosecution is mainly a customs officer who said she acted suspiciously. There's a lot of mistranslation that's also the difficulty in this case." This mistranslation issue is not trivial; it extends to the messages exchanged between Nelson and the man she believed she had a romantic connection with, who ultimately turned out to be a scammer. Matthew Owens, another member of the legal team and a translator for the case, noted, "Some of them were completely wrongly translated, so we had to re-translate those messages and submit them back to the prosecutor." Nelson remains steadfast in her conviction that she is innocent of the accusations against her. Her lawyer, Owens, relayed her message, saying, "Donna wants to say that she is going to be able to prove her innocence, she's 100 per cent confident of that, and she wants everyone in Australia and the world to know she is innocent." If found guilty, Nelson could face a harrowing 20-year sentence in a Japanese prison, a terrifying prospect for both her and her family. Her five daughters and grandchildren are distraught, but they are not giving up the fight to prove her innocence. They believe they have evidence to substantiate the claim that she was scammed and unjustly accused. Image: Australian Greens

Legal

1 in 6 older adults fall victim to impersonation scams

More older adults are likely to fall victim to scams than are currently recognised according to new US research. The problems are global. <div class="copy"> A research team from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, US, says older Americans who aren’t cognitively impeded, are also at risk. In their study <a href="https://10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.35319" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> today in JAMA Network Open, the group reports on a behavioural experiment where they targeted 644 adults aged 64-104 in Rush’s Memory and Aging Project – a local scheme that draws on participants from metropolitan Chicago to participate in research – with a pitch mimicking a real-world impersonation scam. The study’s fictitious ‘US Retirement Protection Task Force’ pitched itself to participants as a government social security initiative. This USRPTF told participants via either post, email or a telephone call there’d been irregular activity on their Medicare or social security file and the inquiry was a routine account security check. As part of this, the fake agency asked participants to call a telephone hotline or login to a provided website to provide their details. Over two-thirds of the study failed to respond to any attempts to obtain information by the phoney scheme. The remainder were evenly split by either responding to requests for contact, but expressing scepticism at the authenticity of the USRPTF, or by responding and engaging with the request for information. Those who were engaged with the request for information, but expressed doubts, were also those with the highest cognitive performance, and lowest proportion of dementia. They were also the most financially literate participants, while those who provided their details had the lowest literacy. Those who provided details were also found to have the lowest scam awareness of all participants. Among this group, 1 in 10 willingly provided personal information and 1 in 5 provided details of their social security number. “If extrapolated to a population level, these numbers are astounding and suggest that a very large number of older adults are at risk of victimisation,” the authors say. They also note that, given the use of a fictitious US government organisation name, the number of people vulnerable to well-organised scams is likely much higher. Last year, the US National Council on Aging reported 92,371 older Americans were defrauded of a total of US$1.7 billion. Most were victims of government department impersonation, sweepstakes and robocall scams. Often such scams will simply demand payment while ‘spoofing’ the phone number of a government agency to add the veil of legitimacy. It’s a similar story around the world. This year, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found Australians lost a record $3.1 billion last year, mostly via phone scams. Australians over 65 years of age accounted for a quarter of losses and reports. The UK’s Action Fraud initiative found Britons lost about ₤2.35 billion in the 2020/21 financial year, with those aged 50-69 most susceptible to falling victim. <div> <noscript data-spai="1">&lt;img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-198773" src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Issue-100-embed.jpg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Subscribe to our quarterly print magazine" width="600" height="154" title="1 in 6 older adults fall victim to impersonation scams 2"&gt;</noscript> </div> Image credits: Getty Images <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/1-in-6-older-adults-fall-victim-to-impersonation-scams/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="null">Cosmos</a>. </div>

Legal

Hilarious reason dad couldn't be fooled by online scam

One savvy dad has outwitted a scammer who posed as his daughter, after the scammer made one hilarious error. Ian Whitworth, a dad from Sydney, took to his LinkedIn page to share the message a scammer texted him in a classic phishing scam that targets parents. He shared the photo of what he thought was the "funniest phishing text any parent has ever received". The text read, "Hey dad, dropped my phone in the sink while doing the dishes. Its unresponsive this is my new number for now just text me here x." Despite the terrible grammar and punctuation that would immediately alert anyone to the possibility of a scam, it was something else that caught the dad's attention. Instead, Whitworth said it was the fact his daughter would never do the chore mentioned by the scammers. Still, he thought it was worth sharing a photo of the text in a bid to warn others, which he uploaded along with the comment, "Cybersecurity update. I just got this." "Perhaps the funniest phishing txt any parent has ever received. 'Doing the dishes', yeah, for sure." In a reply to one of the people who commented on his post, Whitworth joked that his daughter "at age four emerged from my parents' kitchen with a shocked look on her face. 'What's pop doing?'. He was washing up in the sink." Another commenter wrote, "Haha! There is NO WAY this is from my son or daughter, that's for sure." Another commenter said the giveaway that it wasn't from his own child was that they didn't immediately ask for money, to which Whitworth replied, "Ha, yeah, the phishers are like the seven step ladder of confidence before the money issue gets raised. Actual kids: MONEY NOW." According to the federal government's Scamwatch website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the "Friends/Family Hi Mum" impersonation scam was common. "Scammers send messages pretending to be a family member or a friend desperate for money," it said. "They say they have a new phone and they need you to pay money to help them out of a crisis." Scamwatch warns: "Don't assume a person you are dealing with is who they say they are" and offers the following advice. "If someone you know sends a message to say they have a new phone number, try to call them on the existing number you have for them, or message them on the new number with a question only they would know the answer to," it said. "That way you will know if they are who they say they are." Image credits: Getty Images / LinkedIn

Legal

"Ignore, delete and report": Cruel Medicare scam on the rise

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch has warned Aussies against a suspicious Medicare email going around claiming that their services have been suspended. The email states that Medicare services have been suspended because of incomplete customer medical records and contains a link for them to update their medical records to access the service. “Fake emails impersonating Medicare are doing the rounds claiming Medicare services have been suspended," a spokesperson for the consumer watchdog wrote in a tweet. “Ignore the email and the instruction to reactivate your Medicare services — it’s a scam.” "Ignore, delete, and report to Scamwatch." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/scamalert?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#scamalert</a>: Fake emails impersonating Medicare are doing the rounds claiming Medicare services have been suspended. Ignore the email and the instruction to reactivate your Medicare services - it's a scam. Ignore, delete, and report to Scamwatch <a href="https://t.co/qPicjZTOSW">https://t.co/qPicjZTOSW</a> <a href="https://t.co/8UhY7JnlFk">pic.twitter.com/8UhY7JnlFk</a> — NASC Scamwatch (@Scamwatch_gov) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scamwatch_gov/status/1689849418793566208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2023</a></blockquote> Services Australia also advised customers to beware of emails and texts that sound urgent, make promises of financial benefit, and threaten with fines, debts or jail. “If you’ve clicked on a suspicious link or given your personal information to a scammer, call our <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/phone-us?context=64107" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk</a>,” the website states. Image: Getty

Legal

The $500 million ATO fraud highlights flaws in the myGov ID system. Here’s how to keep your data safe

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rob-nicholls-91073">Rob Nicholls</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> The Australian Tax Office (ATO) paid out more than half a billion dollars to cyber criminals between July 2021 and February 2023, according to an <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-26/ato-reveals-cost-of-mygov-tax-identity-crime-fraud/102632572">ABC report</a>. Most of the payments were for small amounts (less than A$5,000) and were not flagged by the ATO’s own monitoring systems. The fraudsters exploited a weakness in the identification system used by the myGov online portal to redirect other people’s tax refunds to their own bank accounts. The good news is there’s plenty the federal government can do to crack down on this kind of fraud – and that you can do to keep your own payments secure. <h2>How these scams work</h2> Setting up a myGov account or a myGov ID requires proof of identity in the form of “<a href="https://www.afp.gov.au/sites/default/files/PDF/NPC-100PointChecklist-18042019.pdf">100 points of ID</a>”. It usually means either a passport and a driver’s licence or a driver’s licence, a Medicare card, and a bank statement. Once a myGov account is created, linking it to your tax records requires two of the following: an ATO assessment, bank account details, a payslip, a Centrelink payment, or a super account. These documents were precisely the ones targeted in three large data breaches in the past year: at <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-the-optus-data-breach-mean-for-you-and-how-can-you-protect-yourself-a-step-by-step-guide-191332">Optus</a>, at <a href="https://theconversation.com/medibank-hackers-are-now-releasing-stolen-data-on-the-dark-web-if-youre-affected-heres-what-you-need-to-know-194340">Medibank</a>, and at <a href="https://asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/news-items/guidance-for-consumers-impacted-by-the-latitude-financial-services-data-breach/">Latitude Financial</a>. In this scam, the cyber criminal creates a fake myGov account using the stolen documents. If they can also get enough information to link to the ATO or your Tax File Number, they can then change bank account details to have your tax rebate paid to their account. It is a sadly simple scam. <h2>How government can improve</h2> One of the issues here is quite astounding. The ATO knows where salaries are paid, via the “<a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/business/single-touch-payroll/what-is-stp-/">single touch</a>” payroll system. This ensures salaries, tax and superannuation contributions are all paid at once. Most people who have received a tax refund will have provided bank account details where that payment can be made. Indeed, many people use precisely those bank account details to identify themselves to myGov. At present, those bank details can be changed within myGov without any further ado. If the ATO simply checked with the individual via another channel when bank account details are changed, this fraud could be prevented. It might be sensible to check with the individual’s employer as well. Part of the problem is the ATO has not been very transparent about the risks. If these risks were clearly set out, then calls for changes to ATO procedures would have been loud and clear from the cyber security community. The ATO is usually good at identifying when a cyber security incident may lead to fraud. For example, when the recruitment software company <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-06/australian-data-may-be-compromised-in-pageup-security-breach/9840048?itm_campaign=newsapp">PageUp was hacked in 2018</a>, the ATO required people who may have been affected to reconfirm their identities. This was done without public commentary and represents sound practice. Sadly, the millions of records stolen in the Optus, Medibank and Latitude Financial breaches have not led to a similar level of vigilance. Another action the ATO could take would be to check when a single set of bank account details is associated with more than one myGov account. A national digital identity would also help. However, this system has been in development for years, is not universally popular, and may well be <a href="https://www.themandarin.com.au/226280-gallagher-warns-community-support-for-digital-identity-not-ubiquitous/">delayed</a> until after the federal election due in 2024. <h2>Protecting yourself</h2> The most important thing to do is make sure the ATO does not use a bank account number other than yours. As long as the ATO only has your bank account number to transfer your tax rebate, this scam does not work. It also helps to protect your Tax File Number. There are only four groups that ever need this number. The first is the ATO itself. The second is your employer. However, remember you do not need to give your TFN to a prospective employer, and your employer only needs your TFN after you have started work. Your super fund and your bank may ask for your TFN. However, providing your TFN to your super fund or bank is optional – it just makes things easier, as otherwise they will withhold tax which you will need to claim back later. Of course, all the usual data safety issues still apply. Don’t share your driver’s licence details without good reason. Take similar care with your passport. Your Medicare card is for health services and does not need to be shared widely. Don’t open emails from people you do not know. Never click links in messages unless you are sure they are safe. Most importantly, know your bank will not send you emails containing links, nor will the ATO.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210459/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rob-nicholls-91073">Rob Nicholls</a>, Associate professor of regulation and governance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-500-million-ato-fraud-highlights-flaws-in-the-mygov-id-system-heres-how-to-keep-your-data-safe-210459">original article</a>.

Technology

Facebook Messenger scams are on the rise – here’s how to protect yourself

Facebook Messenger scams prey on our vulnerabilities Scams through Facebook’s Messenger platform are being reported at higher rates than ever before, according to AARP, citing its own data as well as that of the government. Since Facebook’s early days, cybercriminals have been mining Facebook’s direct-messaging capabilities to scam unsuspecting victims out of money. One of the earliest Facebook Messenger scams involved a message, purportedly from a friend, claiming they were stuck in a foreign country and in desperate need of immediate financial assistance to get out. It wasn’t really the friend, however, but rather a scammer who had hacked into the friend’s account. Imposter scams such as “the friend in a foreign country” have evolved and proliferated over the years. The common thread is the scammer either creates an account impersonating an actual Facebook account or hacks into an existing Facebook account. In either case, the scammer then uses the fake/hacked account to send private messages to the account holder’s friends that elicit either money or personal information. The messages vary, but all are designed to prey on our human vulnerabilities, including: <ul> <li>the desire to be a “hero”</li> <li>the desire to appear “generous”</li> <li>the desire to win “free money”</li> <li>the desire to be loved and admired</li> <li>the desire to avoid shame or punishment</li> </ul> If a scammer tries to message you, report them, Facebook advises, but that begs the larger question of how does one recognise a Facebook Messenger scam? Current Messenger Facebook scams According to Facebook and our cybersecurity experts, here are the most common Facebook Messenger scams today: Romance scams. Preying on our desire to be loved and admired, romance scammers appear as attractive strangers with sad stories and a desire to love and be loved. The most effective romance scammers will friend a number of mutual friends before reaching out to any of them, in an attempt to make themselves seem less like strangers and more like people in the same social network. Many use photos they’ve stolen off the Internet and many pose as members of the military or as doctors, in an attempt to inspire trust, admiration, and even authority. What they all have in common is they can’t meet you just yet because they’re somewhere far away, and although it may take a bit of time, even as much as several weeks, they will eventually ask you to send money so that they can come to see you. Lottery scams. Preying on our desire for “free money,” lottery scammers appear as friends or organisations who are thrilled to tell you you’ve won money in some lottery or contest. The common thread? It’s a contest you have no recollection of having entered and to get the prize, you’ll have to either pay a fee or “refundable” advance or provide personal information. Inheritance scams. Also preying on our desire for free money, inheritance scammers claim to be lawyers or others who represent someone who has died and supposedly left you their estate or some portion of it – but first, you’ll have to fork over some money or personal information. Loan scams. Another variation on the “free money” theme is the loan scam, whereby the scammer promises low-interest loans with no money down – except for a “refundable” application fee. Facebook points out that loan scammers may send messages via Messenger and also leave posts and comments on Pages and in Groups to legitimise themselves. However, legitimate lenders wouldn’t offer loans via Facebook Messenger, nor would they ask you for money to proceed with a loan application. Donation scams. Facebook specifically warns users to watch out for “famous people” or people claiming to represent a charity hitting them up for a donation. Donation scams, which are easy money for a scammer because they are a direct request for payment, prey on our desire to be perceived, or to perceive ourselves, as generous. “Hey, is this you?” scams. Consumer Affairs warns of this “phishing scam” that uses the threat of shame to goad you into giving up personal information. The scammer hacks into one of your Facebook friend’s Messenger accounts and sends you a video, asking if it’s really you in the video, and implying there’s something in the video that could embarrass you. If you ever get a message like this, Consumer Affairs urges you to ignore and delete it to avoid giving away personal information or introducing a virus onto your computer. Red flags to watch out for Unfortunately, Facebook Messenger scams evolve rapidly (as soon as we suss them out, there are several more to replace them). So, it’s a good idea to be aware of these warning signs that we culled from our experts: Someone is asking you for money. While Facebook warns specifically against strangers asking for money, Rachel Wilson, investigative coordinator for The Smith Investigation Agency, points out to Reader’s Digest that any time anyone asks you for money over Messenger, it’s immediately suspect. “If friends or family ask you to help them in an emergency, always call to speak with them personally to confirm that the message originated with them.” Someone is getting a little too personal. When someone sends you a message requesting personal information, especially financial information, it should be considered suspicious, advises Sean Messier, credit industry analyst for Credit Card Insider. Messier suggests not revealing any such information until you’re certain the message-sender is who they claim to be, but it’s probably also a good idea to never reveal any such information over Messenger at all. Someone is offering something for free. You know how they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Well, there’s no such thing as free money on Facebook, points out Robert Siciliano, security expert. This is true for any kind of “free money” Messenger message, including those involving lotteries, loans, contest winnings, inheritances, lost bank accounts, and reimbursements of money owed. Someone who wants to take the conversation off Facebook (to text or email, etc). Facebook warns against taking conversations off Facebook unless you’re absolutely certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the message sender is who they say they are. Messages that seem out of character for the sender. If a message seems “out of the norm” for the sender, trust your instincts and ignore it. This is doubly true if the message includes an attachment. Be very wary of opening attachments in general, and particularly if something seems “off” about the message or the sender. Messages rife with spelling and grammatical errors. Facebook points out that when a message is filled with typos and grammatical errors, you should have your guard up. A single typo is one thing, but things like the misspelling of names and places are a big red flag. Messages from new accounts with few friends. Roger Thompson, CEO of Thompson Cybersecurity Labs, points out that new accounts with few friends should always be considered suspicious until confirmed otherwise. Friend requests from such accounts and from duplicate friend accounts should be considered suspect as well. To avoid getting hacked (and used by a cybercriminal in an imposter scam), Wilson recommends updating your social media passwords regularly and always use two-factor authentication. She also notes that with Facebook use increasing among seniors, it would be a good deed to speak to older family members about Messenger scams and how to avoid them. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/science-technology/facebook-messenger-scams-are-on-the-rise-heres-how-to-protect-yourself" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Technology

Australia can learn from the UK’s experience by making banks pay for scam losses

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/muhammad-al-mamun-1454182">Muhammad Al Mamun</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a> British banks will soon be required to reimburse customers who fall victim to authorised push payment fraud – where a scammer convinces you to authorise a payment, generally by masquerading as a legitimate business or person. The new rules from the UK’s <a href="https://www.psr.org.uk/">Payment Systems Regulator</a> are intended to incentivise all businesses involved in payments to take more action against scam activity, with reimbursement costs split 50:50 between the bank that sends and the bank that receives the payment. There is a strong case that banks and other payment providers in Australia (and New Zealand) should be made to do the same. Scam-related losses are soaring, and banks are falling short of detecting, stopping and recovering losses. In 2022 Australians <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Targeting%20scams%202022.pdf">lost at least $3.1 billion</a> to scams – an 80% increase on 2021. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says the actual losses were far higher, because about 30% of victims don’t report their loss to anyone. While the biggest losses came from investment scams (totalling $1.5 billion), payment redirection scams – where a scammer impersonates a business or individual asking for payment – amounted to A$224 million. Among the most vulnerable groups are older people (25% of losses were reported by those aged 65+), people with a disability (6% of reported losses), and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities (almost 10% of reported losses). <h2>What are Australian banks doing?</h2> No regulations oblige Australian banks to reimburse scam victims, though some banks have self-governed reimbursement policies. While banks have dedicated fraud teams to prevent scams and support victims, the most recent review of the four major banks’ processes by the Australian Investments and Securities Commission, <a href="https://download.asic.gov.au/media/mbhoz0pc/rep761-published-20-april-2023.pdf">published in April</a>, says they detected and stopped just 13% of scam payments. Reimbursement policies and practices varied from bank to bank but the overall rate was low – ranging from 2% to 5%. The review described the banks’ approaches to liability, reimbursement and compensation as “inconsistent and generally very narrow”. <h2>Why the UK has made banks responsible</h2> The greater obligations being imposed on British banks follows attempts by the UK’s <a href="https://www.psr.org.uk/">Payment Systems Regulator</a> to improve consumer protections through a voluntary code of conduct. Introduced in May 2019, this voluntary code was intended, under certain conditions, to ensure the reimbursement of victims of “authorised push payment” scams. These conditions included the customer taking reasonable care and notifying any scam incident to the bank. It had modest success, with <a href="https://www.psr.org.uk/news-and-updates/latest-news/news/psr-sets-out-proposals-to-give-greater-protection-against-app-scams/">46% of reported scam losses</a> being reimbursed between 2020 and 2022. But the Payment Systems Regulator wants 95%. So it has pressed for a mandatory reimbursement scheme. Under the new provisions money must be reimbursed within 48 hours of a fraud being reported. The idea is to get banks to put more effort into detecting and preventing scams. Overall, the UK has accepted the need for a more regimented regulatory approach over a market-based one. <h2>A more pragmatic approach needed</h2> While the Australian Investments and Securities Commission’s own reports have revealed the sorry state of scam prevention, management, and reimbursement practices at major banks, the regulatory body is still not walking in the footsteps of the UK. It is instead advising banks to improve their governance and scam management practices. The Australian Banking Association, which represents the banking sector, has strongly argued against regulation supporting mandatory reimbursement. It has even suggested this <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/big-banks-fight-push-for-billions-of-dollars-in-scam-refunds-20220131-p59sp3.html">could increase scamming losses</a> because of the risk customers will take less care if they know any losses will be covered by their bank. It has called for greater personal responsibility in preventing scam losses. But such an argument ignores the effects of the digitisation push by financial service providers, which has made scamming so much easier. Scammers are also becoming more sophisticated. The statistics speak for themselves. Scamming losses are increasing. Recovery rates are meagre. A more pragmatic approach based on this reality and banks’ fiduciary responsibilities is needed.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209585/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/muhammad-al-mamun-1454182">Muhammad Al Mamun</a>, Senior Lecturer in Finance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-can-learn-from-the-uks-experience-by-making-banks-pay-for-scam-losses-209585">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

How scammers use psychology to create some of the most convincing internet cons – and what to watch out for

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stacey-wood-473147">Stacey Wood</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/scripps-college-2153">Scripps College</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yaniv-hanoch-1341108">Yaniv Hanoch</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southampton-1093">University of Southampton</a> <a href="https://www.experian.co.uk/blogs/latest-thinking/fraud-prevention/cybercrime-fraud-most-common-crime-uk/">Online fraud is today’s most common crime</a>. Victims are often told they are foolish for falling for it, but fraudsters use psychological mechanisms to infiltrate the defences of their targets, regardless of how intelligent they are. So it’s important to keep up with the latest scams and understand how they work. Recently, consumer protection magazine Which? <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/the-4-most-convincing-scams-weve-seen-in-2023-so-far-a7bRP9s0KJvG">identified some of the most convincing scams of 2023</a>. These scams all have one thing in common – they insidiously take advantage of people’s cognitive biases and psychological blind spots. They included “pig butchering” a way of fattening up victims with affection, the missing person scam which involves posting fake content on social media pages, the traditional PayPal scam, and a new scam called the “fake app alert” in which malware is hidden on apps that look legitimate. <h2>Pig butchering</h2> In our work as fraud psychology researchers we have noticed a trend towards hybrid scams, which combine different types of fraud. Hybrid scams often involve crypto investments and <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-fraud-crisis/202210/new-scams-committed-forced-trafficked-labor">sometimes use trafficked labour</a> In the US alone, <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/springfield/news/internet-crime-complaint-center-releases-2022-statistics">the FBI recently reported</a> that people lost US $3.3 billion (£2.6 billion) in 2023 to investment fraud. Pig butchering is a long-term deception. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/02/pig-butchering-scammers-make-billions-convincing-victims-of-love.html">This type of scam</a> combines elements of <a href="https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/romance-scams">romance scams</a> with an investment con. The name comes from the strategy of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/may/22/dating-cons-and-dodgy-apps-among-most-common-scams-says-uk-watchdog">“fattening up” a victim with affection before slaughter</a>. It will usually begin with <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/policy-and-insight/article/pig-butchering-among-most-convincing-scams-of-2023-so-far-which-warns-aDRtr4I1UT1R">standard scam approach like a text</a>, social media message, or an introduction at a job board site. Victims may have their guard up at first. However, these scams can unfold over months, with the scammer slowly gaining the victims’ trust and initiating a romantic relationship all the while learning about their vulnerabilities. For example, details of their financial situation, job stresses, and dreams about the life they want. Romance scammers often saturate their targets with affection and almost constant contact. Pig butchering sometimes involves several trafficked people working as a team to create a single persona. Once the victim depends on the scammer for their emotional connection, the scammer introduces the idea of making an investment and uses fake crypto platforms to demonstrate returns. The scammers may use legitimate sounding cryptocoins and platforms. Victims can invest and “see” strong returns online. In reality, their money is going directly to the scammer. Once a victim transfers a substantial amount of money to the con artist, they are less likely to pull out. This phenomenon is known as the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0749597885900494">“sunk cost fallacy”</a>. Research has shown people are likely to carry on investing money, time and effort in activities they have already invested in and ignore signs the endeavour isn’t in their best interests. When the victim runs out of money or tries to withdraw funds, they are blocked. The victim is left with not only financial devastation, but also the loss of what they may imagine to be their most intimate partnership. They are often <a href="https://cloud-platform-e218f50a4812967ba1215eaecede923f.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/sites/6/2021/12/VC-Who-Suffers-Fraud-Report-1.pdf">too embarrassed to discuss the experience</a> with friends and family or to report to the police. <h2>PayPal scams</h2> Fake payment requests are a common attack that works by volume rather than playing the long game. Payment requests appear to come from a genuine PayPal address. Fraudulent messages typically begin with a generic greeting, an urgent request and a fake link. For example, Dear User: You’ve received a payment, or you have paid too much. Please click link below for details. Users are directed to a spoofed website with a legitimate sounding name such as www.paypal.com/SpecialOffers and asked to enter their account information and password. Both of us have received these scam requests – and even we found them difficult to discern from legitimate PayPal request emails. These scams work through mimicry and play on the human tendency to trust authority. Legitimate PayPal correspondence is usually automatic bot language, so it is not difficult to imitate. But remember, genuine messages from PayPal <a href="https://www.paypal.com/ca/for-you/account/security/fraud-dangers#:%7E:text=Any%20email%20from%20PayPal%20will,bank%20account%2C%20or%20credit%20card.">will use your first and last name</a>. <h2>The missing person scam</h2> This seems to be a new scam that exploits a person’s kindness. In the past, charity scams involved posing as charitable organisation responding to a <a href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/charity.html">recent, real calamity</a>. The new missing person scam is more sophisticated. The initial plea is a <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/20875699/facebook-fake-missing-child-scam-warning/">fake missing person post</a> that generates likes and shares, increasing its credibility and exposure. Then the fraudster edits the content to create an investment scheme which now has the veneer of legitimacy. This scam may work because the initial consumers are unaware that the content is fraudulent, and there is no obvious request. In psychology, this type of persuasion is known as “<a href="https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/psychology/social-proof">social proof</a>” – the tendency of individuals to follow and copy behaviour of others. <h2>Fake app alerts</h2> People post mobile apps, designed to steal users’ personal information, on the Google Play or Apple app store. The app often has a <a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/another-person-comes-forward-after-banking-app-scam-3584340">legitimate function</a>, which gives it a cover. Consumers unknowingly jeopardise their private information by downloading these apps which use malware to access additional information. Although there has been <a href="https://tech.co/news/fake-android-apps-delete">media coverage of Android security issues</a>, many users assume malware <a href="https://www.ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2020/8/18/app-stores">cannot bypass app store screening</a>. Again, this scam plays on people’s <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0021-9010.92.3.639">trust in authority figures</a> to keep tjem safe. Discuss any investment opportunities with friends, family members or professionals. It’s much easier said than done, but exercising caution one of the best strategies to reduce the chance of becoming a fraud victim. Scammers count on people paying little to no attention to their emails or messages before clicking on them or providing valuable information. When it comes to scams, the devil is in the missing details.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207759/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stacey-wood-473147">Stacey Wood</a>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/scripps-college-2153">Scripps College</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yaniv-hanoch-1341108">Yaniv Hanoch</a>, Professor in Decision Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southampton-1093">University of Southampton</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-scammers-use-psychology-to-create-some-of-the-most-convincing-internet-cons-and-what-to-watch-out-for-207759">original article</a>.

Technology

Don't get caught out: 6 holiday scams ripping off travellers

If you’re planning to take a trip across the world soon, then be warned, as there is an influx of new holiday scams affecting tourists as they travel to their dream break. Holiday-makers have money to spend and relaxation on their minds, which is why they are seen as easy targets for con artists. UK-based consumer group <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which?</a> has listed the six most common frauds travellers need to be aware of, along with tips on how to avoid getting scammed, <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sun</a> reported. So, if you’re planning a trip abroad, here are the things you need to watch out for: 1. Accommodation booking scams While the introduction of the internet has been a blessing in terms of ease, it’s also made it easier for scammers to lure you into their traps. With the growth of online holiday bookings, fraudsters often need nothing more than a few fake pictures to lure their victims. A common scam is one that includes picturesque photographs of holiday rentals that don’t seem to exist, advertised at affordable price points. The deals were often advertised on mainstream websites but asked those who were interested in booking to contact them via email, rather than use the site’s own booking system. Bookers were then sent a link to a convincing payment page, which suggested the payment hadn’t cleared. They then ask for a bank transfer instead. How to protect yourself: Do your research. Google the property to see if it shows up on other reputable websites to check its authenticity. You could use Google Maps and Street View to see if the accommodation actually exists. Also, never pay by bank transfer. 2. Dodgy flight deals Con artists have created fake airline websites that advertise budget deals on long haul flights that leave their victims high and dry. The UK government’s fraud agency has reported a recent surge of scams targeting those who are travelling to Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In many instances, tickets were purchased with stolen credit cards and then sold to unsuspecting victims, complete with a reference number. But tickets were then cancelled after the credit card was reported as stolen, leaving the victims out of pocket and nothing to show for it. How to protect yourself: Book tickets through trusted agencies. 3. Wi-Fi hacks It’s become human instinct to try and find Wi-Fi wherever you go, and the same applies when travellers land at airports. While it’s important to stay connected in order to get in touch with friends and family, there is a risk involved. Fraudsters have set up their own free networks in airports and use them to gain free information about anyone that logs on. Many passengers have been tricked into entering their credit card details before logging on. How to protect yourself: Ask airport staff about the real Wi-Fi connection to make sure it’s the real deal and be on the lookout for connections that don’t ask for passwords straight away. Also, if you are asked for confidential information then provide fake details where possible. 4. “Free” holidays This decade-long scam has been one that con artists have perfected throughout the years. Back in the day, people would be pressured into buying timeshares after accepting a complimentary break. Now, the con is conducted through scratch cards and other fake competitions. In one example of the scam, around 500 British travellers in Spain’s Costa del Sol have been scammed of around $27.5 million in the last year alone. How to protect yourself: Refuse all offers of free holidays because if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is. Do you know of any other travel scams? Let us know in the comments below. 5. Document fraud Over the years, the internet has seen a growth in websites selling fake travel visas and other important documents needed to visit foreign countries. A few cases were found to not be conducting illegal activity but were responsible for reselling documents at a huge premium compared to official channels. Some common examples included websites selling the European Health Insurance Card and US visa (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, or ESTA) documents. While the sites looked extremely convincing, they had nothing to do with the governments of the countries they claimed to represent. According to Which?, out of the top 20 search results for “ESTA visa” over half were unofficial. How to protect yourself: Follow links to official government websites through the Department of Foreign Affairs website. 6. Fake tickets It’s no secret that music concerts and major sporting events are on top of the list of potential scams, but travellers are now falling victim to fake packages to international events and are only finding out the true worth of their ticket once they arrive in the country. The FIFA World Cup in Russia was one example where countless websites offered travel packages including tickets when the only tickets that were considered valid and authentic were the ones purchased directly from FIFA themselves. Scammers love to lure desperate fans with fake tickets, as they know the demand is high and it’s easy to trap people who are willing to go the extra mile for a ticket to their chosen event. How to protect yourself: Make sure the tickets you are purchasing are from legitimate websites and web pages that start with “https” and have the padlock symbol in the URL bar. And if you’re on the hunt for second-hand tickets, then do a quick check if whether or not resale is allowed, as some tickets are only valid for the original buyer. “Criminals are finding ever more sophisticated ways to dupe holiday-makers, both in the booking process and when they’re on the holiday itself,” Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said. “If something seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Don’t hand your money over until you can be sure it’s the real deal.” Images: Getty

Travel Trouble

Get-rich-quick schemes, pyramids and ponzis: five signs you’re being scammed

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bomikazi-zeka-680577">Bomikazi Zeka</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/abdul-latif-alhassan-1390159">Abdul Latif Alhassan</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cape-town-691">University of Cape Town</a> Consumers are under a lot of financial strain. The <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/cost-of-living-crisis-global-impact/">World Economic Forum</a> reports that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting people across the globe. With food and fuel prices rising, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep financially afloat. On top of that, salaries <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/workers-pay-globally-hasnt-kept-up-with-inflation-e6df92d">aren’t keeping up with inflation</a>, making it more difficult to save and build wealth. It’s during such times of economic difficulty and uncertainty that fraudsters lure unsuspecting consumers into “<a href="https://www.sabric.co.za/">get-rich-quick</a>” schemes, offering <a href="https://www.sabric.co.za/stay-safe/ponzi-pyramid-schemes/">an avenue to make easy money</a> by investing in a “lucrative” financial opportunity. Nothing beats the prospect of making easy money, and every now and again there seems to be a “get-rich-quick” scheme circulating on WhatsApp or on social media that seems legitimate. But it’s not. Our research interests centre on financial systems in emerging economies, and we advocate for financial inclusion and empowering marginalised communities through financial literacy and financial planning. We use our academic platform to share our expertise on finance, including common financial traps people should steer clear of. “Get-rich-quick” schemes are one such trap. They’re also sometimes called ponzi or pyramid schemes. The schemes are a form of <a href="https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/financial-fraud">financial fraud</a>. The people running them take money through deception: the misrepresentation of information and identity. They promise financial benefits that don’t exist. You should avoid them because, more often than not, they are bogus and fraudulent business ventures. There have been some massive fraud schemes over the past 30 years. In the early 1990s, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/mmm-global-russian-ponzi-scheme-from-1990s-reborn-and-now-spreading-like-wildfire-in-africa-a7333366.html">MMM Global</a> - one of the world’s largest and most notorious ponzi schemes - defrauded up to 40 million people, who lost an estimated $10 billion. Ponzi schemes have since resurfaced in different forms in <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/ponzi-scheme-investigated-as-some-victims-lost-as-much-as-r200-000-c3c3633c-2abb-4dd4-b668-a5ea608deb41">South Africa</a>, <a href="https://guardian.ng/business-services/nigerians-lose-over-n911b-to-ponzi-schemes-related-fraud-in-23-years/">Nigeria</a>, <a href="https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/zimbabwe-money-pyramids-ponzi-schemes/6305100.html">Zimbabwe</a>, <a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/202105170964.html">Kenya</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-09-2020-0177">Ghana</a> and several other African countries. There are five tell-tale signs of a “get-rich-quick” scheme. Watch out for them. <h2>The five tell-tale signs</h2> Firstly, they offer exaggerated and above-market returns within a short period of time, with the promise of little to no risk. There are two golden rules when it comes to investing. The first is that it takes time to make money. Amassing a small fortune within a short space of time should raise questions about the scheme. The second rule is: the higher the risk, the higher the return. In other words, no investment is risk free or can guarantee significant returns. There is always some risk involved. An investment that promises substantial returns tends to be quite risky, which repels most people with a low appetite for risk. Secondly, new members are constantly recruited to join the scheme. Typically, such schemes are sustained by relying on the investments of new members to pay existing members. Once the number of existing members exceeds new members, the scheme goes “belly-up”. At best you lose out on the returns you were promised. At worst you lose all the money you’ve invested. When the scheme collapses, it is almost impossible to recover the money you’ve lost because you’ve technically given it to a stranger (remember, the definition of financial fraud encompasses the misrepresentation of identity). Thirdly, there is urgency to join the scheme and no clarity on how the scheme works. This is a classic characteristic of a “get-rich-quick” scheme. There is usually no clear answer about the nature of the scheme, what it invests in, how it generates its returns or the credentials of the organisation. Legitimate investments are transparent and can provide investors with all the information they need to help them decide whether to invest. Unsurprisingly, a proper check of “get-rich-quick” schemes will unmask their fraudulent nature. This is why there’s always the urgency and coercion to make an immediate financial commitment under the guise of missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get rich. Fourthly, the scheme is not registered with or regulated by any recognised authority. Regulatory authorities are important because they monitor the conduct of financial service providers and protect consumers by keeping their best interests in mind. The protection provided by financial regulators also instils confidence in financial systems. “Get-rich-quick” schemes are not registered and operate outside the framework of regulatory bodies. This makes investors more vulnerable to loss and makes it more difficult to seek legal recourse when the loss occurs. Legitimate investments in South Africa are offered by authorised financial service providers and regulated by the <a href="https://www.fsca.co.za/Pages/Default.aspx">Financial Sector Conduct Authority</a>. You can search for any authorised financial service provider on the authority’s <a href="https://www.fsca.co.za/Fais/Search_FSP.htm">website</a>. Fifthly, they use the testimonies from existing members who’ve earned big bucks to promote the scheme. At the initial stages, the scheme tends to pay out to those who have invested early, and these members are encouraged to share the news of their wealth (which travels fast and far) to promote the scheme. But this is a tactic used to create the impression that you too can earn returns in the double digits. These schemes are both unsustainable and unethical as one person gets wealthy through someone else being deceived. <h2>Too good to be true</h2> It’s worth repeating that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Wealth comes from a sound investment strategy and decisions made over time. Any promise to “get rich quick” should be treated with the cynicism it deserves. It will ultimately reveal its fraudulent nature. Recognising the signs of “get-rich-quick” schemes can save you from unnecessary financial distress. It’s always a good idea to do your own investigation before committing your finances into any investment. You can find more information on the various types of scams through the <a href="https://www.sabric.co.za/">South African Banking Risk Information Centre</a>’s website and report them to the <a href="https://www.safps.org.za/Home/Contact">South African Fraud Prevention Service</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205798/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bomikazi-zeka-680577">Bomikazi Zeka</a>, Assistant Professor in Finance and Financial Planning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/abdul-latif-alhassan-1390159">Abdul Latif Alhassan</a>, Associate Professor in Development Finance & Insurance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cape-town-691">University of Cape Town</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/get-rich-quick-schemes-pyramids-and-ponzis-five-signs-youre-being-scammed-205798">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

Man served with AVO after turning up on Sophie Monk’s doorstep

A man has been served with an AVO after he turned up at Sophie Monk’s home clutching a single red rose; claiming he was the victim of an elaborate catfishing scam that robbed him of $7,000. Brian Rapley said police questioned him “like I was some crazed stalker” but insisted that he had months of messages on his phone between him and the person he had believed to be Monk. “I feel like such an idiot,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “But I thought we were in a relationship." Police were called on April 25 to Monk’s NSW Central Coast home after a man was spotted outside at 7:30am calling her name. He returned later that evening and was swarmed by police. Rapley, 49, said five police cars descended on him. "They said to me, ‘What are you here to do to Sophie Monk?’ and I said, ‘I’m here to meet her for the first time, we are in a relationship'." Monk wasn’t home at the time as she was with her husband Joshua Gross in Queensland filming a movie Zombie Plane with US entertainer Vanilla Ice. “I do not know any person by the name of Brian Rapley. I am not in a relationship with anyone by the name of Brian Rapley. I am currently happily married to my husband Joshua Gross,” Monk said in a statement to police. Rapley wasn’t officially charged but was served with an AVO and told not to approach the TV personality. He had told police that he genuinely believed it was Monk he was communicating with after he left a message on her verified Instagram account. “Then next thing I get a message from another account but with the same profile pic as Sophie, saying, ‘Hey, it's Sophie … let’s chat here, my manager reads my official account, so this is better,’” he told the Daily Telegraph. Over the span of four months, he said he and the person he believed to be Monk spoke regularly. Rapley showed the outlet the multiple messages he claimed he thought were from the star. One of the messages to him read, “I love you”. However, there were telling signs that it was likely a scam as the “relationship” never moved from messaging to phone calls. “I did think that was weird. I was like ‘If you are who you say you are, you could walk into a shop and get a new phone for free’”. However, the account explained that their phone was broken and they were too busy to buy a new one. Rapley then said he fell for a scam in which the person he thought was Monk said she was “getting all this money” but asked him to send her cash in the meantime. When he questioned why he would be sending money to such a high-profile celeb, he was told it was just “bank account drama”. He then revealed that the person he was messaging provided him with Monk’s address and told him to meet her there on April 25 so they could finally meet face-to-face. Rapley said he was embarrassed. “Look, I know it sounds stupid … I look like a right fool but the truth is I’m just lonely, and I believed her.” Image credit: Getty

Relationships

Cruel myGov scam targeting unsuspecting Aussies

A malicious scam is targeting unsuspecting Aussies struggling with the cost of living expenses promising them a one-off myGov payment to “help you cope” with the crisis. The scam text, shared to Reddit, claims to be from the government service, rather it works by tricking the recipient into sharing their personal details. The scam comes as calls continue to increase for the federal government to raise the rate of welfare payments, which currently see $49.50 per day for singles on JobSeeker and $40.20 per day for Youth Allowance. “myGov: We’re providing $800 in a single payment to help you cope with the cost of living crisis,” the scam text readers, with a link to a fault URL posing as the government service. The recipients of the message warned others to “be careful of this one”, expressing concerns over how easily the scam could deceive vulnerable Aussies struggling to stay afloat during the cost of living crisis. “I’m sure lots of people will fall for this,” one said. “Lucky their spoofed website doesn’t even work.” MyGov has issued several alerts warning people about various scams spoofing the service. Its advice for suspicious messages is to never reply, open any links or download any attachments. “myGov will never send you an email, SMS message, or direct message or private chat on social media, asking you to click on a link to sign in to myGov, enter your bank details, tell us your personal details, including your Customer Reference Number (CRN) or Tax File Number (TFN),” it said. Any customers who have shared their myGov details and other personal information to scammers should contact the Services Australia Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk. Image credit: Reddit

Money & Banking

Australians lost more than $3bn to scammers in 2022. Here are 5 emerging scams to look out for

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Targeting%20scams%202022.pdf">Targeting Scams report</a> indicates Australians reported more than A$3 billion lost to fraud in 2022. This is about a $1 billion increase on <a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-lost-2b-to-fraud-in-2021-this-figure-should-sound-alarm-bells-for-the-future-186459">reported losses from 2021</a>. Year upon year, we’re witnessing a rise in monetary losses to fraud. Behind these figures sit millions of Australians who experience a range of financial and non-financial <a href="https://www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/29-1314-FinalReport.pdf">harms</a>. Here’s what we’ve learned from the latest report – and some advice on what to look out for in the year ahead. <h2>2022 at a glance</h2> Of the reported $3 billion lost, about half was stolen as part of investment schemes – more than double the $701 million figure from 2021. A desire to invest in cryptocurrency has driven up these losses, with potential investors inadvertently transferring money to offenders advertising a range of falsehoods. Remote access schemes – in which a scammer convinces the victim to grant them access to their computer – jumped into second place, with $229 million in reported losses. This was followed by payment redirection scams (also known as business email compromise fraud). Those who reported directly to Scamwatch lost an average of $19,654 – an increase of 54% from the $12,742 reported in 2021. The report also shows not all victims are targeted equally; people aged 65 years and older reported the highest losses across all demographics. Indigenous Australians, people with a disability, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds were also overrepresented. For the first time in many years, text message was the most popular method for offenders to target victims. And while bank transfers were the most popular way to send funds to offenders, <a href="https://theconversation.com/crypto-theft-is-on-the-rise-heres-how-the-crimes-are-committed-and-how-you-can-protect-yourself-176027">cryptocurrency transfers</a> continue to increase in popularity – rising 162.4% in one year. There was, however, a reduction in fraudulent phone calls. This is likely attributable to the introduction of <a href="https://www.commsalliance.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/72150/C661_2022.pdf">regulatory action</a> to block known scam calls. It’s a bright spot in an otherwise dark report. <h2>Trends to look out for</h2> The Targeting Scams report demonstrates the many ways offenders seek to defraud victims. On one hand, people are becoming more aware of common scam tactics. On the other, criminals are adjusting their methods to gain the upper hand. Here are five types of relatively lesser-known frauds everyone should be aware of. 1. Romance baiting Also known as “<a href="https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/05/12/fake-android-and-ios-apps-disguise-as-trading-and-cryptocurrency-apps/">cryptorom</a>” or “<a href="https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/07/massive-losses-define-epidemic-of-pig-butchering/">pig butchering</a>”, this scam is a convergence of investment fraud and traditional romance fraud approaches. The offender first initiates a relationship with the victim – through dating apps, websites or social media platforms. Once they’ve established trust, they encourage the victim to put their money into an “investment” opportunity, often cryptocurrency. The victim will then unknowingly transfer their money to the offender, who is under a different guise. This kind of romance baiting raises fewer red flags than directly asking for money, and is targeting a younger demographic compared to more traditional romance fraud. Such deceptions are coded under investment schemes. This is likely driving the surge in investment scheme losses reported in recent years, while also accounting for a lack of substantial increases in romance fraud. 2. Online shopping fraud Offenders are skilled at creating fake websites and product advertisements that look genuine. Often these fake sites will have only subtle differences from their real counterparts. Consumers may not be able to tell the difference. Criminals can directly access funds through victims’ credit card details obtained on these sites. Online shopping fraud targets a range of demographics. It’s happening on stand-alone websites, social media platforms and online marketplaces. 3. Jobs and employment fraud <a href="https://research.qut.edu.au/centre-for-justice/wp-content/uploads/sites/304/2022/02/Briefing-Paper-Series-Feb2022-Issue21-17022022.pdf">Research</a> has indicated that working from home and flexible working conditions are strong indicators of a fraudulent job listing. But in a post-COVID world, flexibility at work is often a key criterion for job seekers, if not a deal-breaker. Offenders have noticed this, and are responding by posting attractive job advertisements that offer flexibility and high incomes. Victims submit their CVs and personal credentials (setting themselves up for identity crime), or may be required to pay upfront for training or materials costs for a job that doesn’t exist. Employment scams are targeting younger people in particular, as they’re more likely to have <a href="https://australiainstitute.org.au/report/youth-unemployment-and-the-pandemic/">experienced job loss and insecurity</a> in the wake of the pandemic. 4. Recovery schemes Many fraud victims will want to take whatever action possible to recover lost funds. To exploit this, offenders will trade the details of victims with each other. They will then pose as authorities (often law enforcement, banks or private agencies) who are aware of the victim’s circumstances and promote their ability to regain the missing funds for a fee. In this way, victims who are desperate to recover losses are manipulated into paying even more money to offenders. 5. Remote access schemes Receiving a phone call from a computer technician advising of a problem with your computer and offering to fix it is a common experience for many. While this approach isn’t new, it made a strong resurgence in 2022 – particularly targeting older people. These scam calls often come through landlines and prey on people’s fear for the security of their bank details and other personal data. The fraudsters often invoke a sense of urgency about needing to rectify the “problem”, and victims are persuaded to give the offender remote access to their computer. The criminal can then access a wealth of personal information. They can gain direct entry to bank accounts to transfer funds, and can access identity credentials and other sensitive details to commit identity crime in the future. <h2>Change is needed to protect the public</h2> The threat of fraud will only increase alongside technological evolution. Experts are concerned about artificial intelligence tools such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/08/darktrace-warns-of-rise-in-ai-enhanced-scams-since-chatgpt-release">ChatGPT</a> and image and video generators giving cybercriminals yet another tool to add to their arsenal. The latest Scamwatch report is further evidence banks and financial institutions need to implement measures to help reduce fraud losses; among these, the checking of account names against BSB numbers for all transactions. The UK has a <a href="https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/policy-and-guidance/guidance/confirmation-payee">confirmation-of-payee</a> policy that does this. The government is attempting to address the continued surge in fraud losses through the revision of its <a href="https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us/our-portfolios/cyber-security/strategy/2023-2030-australian-cyber-security-strategy">cybersecurity strategy</a> and the potential establishment of a <a href="https://consultation.accc.gov.au/accc/national-anti-scams-centre-survey/">National Anti-Scams Centre</a>. These are both positive steps but it’s clear there’s a need for more work to be done. Image: Getty This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-lost-more-than-3bn-to-scammers-in-2022-here-are-5-emerging-scams-to-look-out-for-204018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Money & Banking

“Just heartbreaking”: Woman’s dream win turned nightmare

Amelia Conway has opened up about her heartbreak after her dream car was snatched away from her in the middle of the night. The 22-year-old from Victoria received the $100,000 4WD when she was named the winner of a Hello Lifestyle Australia online charity raffle. Amelia had purchased $120 worth of tickets in the draw, and was delighted when she was announced as the proud new owner of the modified Widebody Y62 Nissan Patrol. Supposedly, all associated on-road costs were also included in her prize. Amelia lives in Colac, Victoria, and had to be flown to Queensland by Hello Lifestyle Australia to claim her vehicle. Flights weren’t in order for the return trip, with the excited pair driving Amelia’s new car all the way back home to Victoria. However, Amelia’s good time was destined to come to an abrupt end. Upon trying to transfer the car into her name, and to register it in her home state as necessary, she discovered that the vehicle was still under finance. It had been one of Amelia’s friends who suggested that she look into the “too good to be true” win, and do a Personal Property Securities Register check. “I thought maybe they had paid it out,” Amelia said of learning the vehicle had money owing, “and it's taken a little while to clear, but that wasn't the case.” February 1 marked the beginning of Amelia’s nightmare, with someone showing up at her home to repossess the car. “Randomly, without me knowing anything, at 8pm last night a guy showed up to repossess the car,” Amelia said of the incident in a Facebook post. In the time to follow, Amelia attempted to get in touch with Hello Lifestyle Australia to find out more about what was going on with the vehicle’s transfer, and to get clarification on the payment of all on-road costs. But those attempts were met with silence for the unfortunate 22 year old. Victoria Police also confirmed that they are investigating Amelia’s case, but faced a difficult time ahead, with Hello Lifestyle Australia’s website and social media accounts having been shut down. “The patrol is gone and I am trying to gather information through other people that have won anything through Hello Lifestyle Australia to take it a lot further,” she said of her ordeal, adding, “it’s not fair on myself or anyone else that has won anything through this company. It’s just heartbreaking.” However, in a delightful twist to Amelia’s tale, Car Hub Australia took it upon themselves to get involved and to “right others’ wrong”. After searching the country high and low for a new Nissan Patrol - a vehicle in high demand with waiting lists measuring in months - before finally locating one on the New South Wales south coast. The team then made their way from Western Australia to Wollongong, before driving the car all the way to Amelia at home in Victoria. And all the company had to say of their good deed was that they “know there’s a lot of companies out there that don’t do the right thing. “We hold ourselves to a higher standard.” Despite the eventual happy ending to Amelia’s woes, it appears that she was not the first victim of Hello Lifestyle Australia’s “raffles”. Aaron Edmundson, a father from Perth, claims that he had to spend over $7,000 on a car that he also “won” from them. While the company apparently claimed that they would cover all related costs, this wasn’t the case, with Aaron eventually selling the car. Images: Seven News / Facebook

Legal

Salon owner loses $40,000 from one $60 deposit

When beautician Thuy Le received a call from a supposed customer’s ‘husband’ regarding an accidental payment, she could never have foreseen the devastating turn her life would take from that point on. The mother of two, whose husband is living with Parkinsons and unable to work, recounted how her harrowing ordeal started with that one phone call, and the man on the other end requesting she return the $60 his wife had ‘accidentally’ paid. Le checked her bank statements to verify his story, and after noting one deposit that matched, she transferred the funds into the account he provided. She did not provide any of her own personal information, her passwords, or any critical numbers for her accounts. And yet, in the time to follow, Le could only watch in horror as more withdrawals were made from her account, into the very same one owned by the customer’s ‘husband’. The withdrawals totalled a devastating $41,600 stolen from Le’s life savings. Le also recounted how she was refused access to her business account, and that she got in touch with her bank as soon as she realised what had happened, suspecting she had been scammed. Her quest for support in her time of need was cut short, with the financial institution placing the blame solely on Le and ruling that they were not liable for the losses she had endured - this was despite the suspicious withdrawals raising no alarm with the bank, and the lack of personal information involved in the scam. Of their questionable red flag system, the bank claimed that it is “nearly impossible for an unauthorised third party to guess”, referencing the way that the logins for the costly transaction all succeeded on the very first try. Furthermore, as stated in a letter to Le, they declared that “the only reasonable explanation for these logins would be that your online banking credentials were known to the unauthorised third party, which would be in breach of the passcode security requirements.” “I am in financial hardship,” Le admitted of her dire situation, and the need to have the funds returned for her family and her husband’s crucial medication. “I have two little kids, I have a husband with Parkinson’s disease, he cannot work,” she continued. “We are still in the process of applying for government help and I have carried the financial burden on my shoulders.” While Le’s bank offered $200 to resolve her complaint, she was offered no further assistance, and took matters to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, hoping to have her money returned to her. “I can’t sleep,” she confessed. “I want to know why this happened to me and how it happened to me. “I’m not a liar, not a criminal, not a fraud.” Images: Supplied to 7News, Facebook

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War veteran loses $18,000 to Netflix scam

"It was devastating": Grandfather loses $1 million in scam before his death

“Unbelievably legitimate”: Deb Knight falls victim to popular scam

"Too good to be true": Bank teller saves couple from losing $40k

Kyle and Jackie O's kind act for mother and daughter who got scammed

Aussie grandma and former Greens candidate jailed in Japan claims she was scammed

1 in 6 older adults fall victim to impersonation scams

Hilarious reason dad couldn't be fooled by online scam

"Ignore, delete and report": Cruel Medicare scam on the rise

The $500 million ATO fraud highlights flaws in the myGov ID system. Here’s how to keep your data safe

Facebook Messenger scams are on the rise – here’s how to protect yourself

Australia can learn from the UK’s experience by making banks pay for scam losses

How scammers use psychology to create some of the most convincing internet cons – and what to watch out for

Don't get caught out: 6 holiday scams ripping off travellers

Get-rich-quick schemes, pyramids and ponzis: five signs you’re being scammed

Man served with AVO after turning up on Sophie Monk’s doorstep

Cruel myGov scam targeting unsuspecting Aussies

Australians lost more than $3bn to scammers in 2022. Here are 5 emerging scams to look out for

“Just heartbreaking”: Woman’s dream win turned nightmare

Salon owner loses $40,000 from one $60 deposit

Our Partners

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Newspaper

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Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

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Information

Keep up to date

Search

War veteran loses $18,000 to Netflix scam

"It was devastating": Grandfather loses $1 million in scam before his death

“Unbelievably legitimate”: Deb Knight falls victim to popular scam

"Too good to be true": Bank teller saves couple from losing $40k

Kyle and Jackie O's kind act for mother and daughter who got scammed

Aussie grandma and former Greens candidate jailed in Japan claims she was scammed

1 in 6 older adults fall victim to impersonation scams

Hilarious reason dad couldn't be fooled by online scam

"Ignore, delete and report": Cruel Medicare scam on the rise

The $500 million ATO fraud highlights flaws in the myGov ID system. Here’s how to keep your data safe

Facebook Messenger scams are on the rise – here’s how to protect yourself

Australia can learn from the UK’s experience by making banks pay for scam losses

How scammers use psychology to create some of the most convincing internet cons – and what to watch out for

Don't get caught out: 6 holiday scams ripping off travellers

Get-rich-quick schemes, pyramids and ponzis: five signs you’re being scammed

Man served with AVO after turning up on Sophie Monk’s doorstep

Cruel myGov scam targeting unsuspecting Aussies

Australians lost more than $3bn to scammers in 2022. Here are 5 emerging scams to look out for

“Just heartbreaking”: Woman’s dream win turned nightmare

Salon owner loses $40,000 from one $60 deposit

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