Don’t be fooled with unsolicited emails, no matter how ‘official’ they look. The Australian Crime Commission (ACC) announced last week it has been made aware of a number of scams using the ACC name and logo to lure consumers into paying thousands of dollars into fraudulent bank accounts. We describe the details of this scam, and look at what you could be giving away that could lead to bad credit history.

By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au.

The ACC was last week alerted to a fraudulent email pretending to be from ACC Chief Executive Officer John Lawler, which asks the consumer to pay $900 into a Nigerian bank account in order to receive US$5 million.

The email is sent from a non ACC email address. The ACC says all legitimate ACC emails contain @crimecommission.gov.au.

They say the ACC will never request money from individuals in this way.

Identifying characteristics of these emails may include:

• Reference to the Department of Homeland Security
• Reference to the Chief Executive Office of the Australian Crime Commission
• Reference to Nigerian based banks
• Requests for recipients to send amounts of money,” the ACC media release explains.

This comes hot on the heels of another scam using the ACC name to rip off Australians.

In late September the ACC became aware of a scam that falsely used the ACC, Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) logo in an attempt to lure consumers into paying large sums of money for fake criminal background checks.

The fraudulent criminal background checks were being initiated by criminals using dating websites.

The ACC says the scams highlight the prevalence and scope of frauds being initiated by criminals operating in the cyber environment.

Criminals are prepared to go to great lengths to pilfer the money or personal details of their victims. To target Australian victims, the average cyber-criminal or scammer needs to be pretty savvy. Most Australians are aware of the obvious scams (although they still do catch out some), but elaborate ones such as the recent investment super scam has meant many well-educated and intelligent people become victims.

It’s do with the logos, the proof, the fake websites, and the fake statistics. You just don’t assume that people would go to those lengths to steal your money –right? Wrong! The more elaborate the scam, the more likely it will catch out those with serious money. If the prototype works – fraudsters can use it again and again to catch out thousands before they are shut down.

The other danger with receiving unsolicited emails, is that you can unknowingly download a virus by clicking on a link or attachment. This virus can cause your computer to be part of a botnet, or it can use keyloggers to record your keystrokes and take your passwords and usernames for important sites you use online. So even if you don’t fall for the scam, you can still fall victim to scammers.

Scams can bring profits in a myriad of ways. Fraudsters can swipe small amounts over a widespread group – or they can concentrate on draining the bank accounts of a few. What they can also do, is misuse or even on-sell the personal details of the victim for purposes of constructing a fake identity to steal credit.

If successful, crooks can access credit cards, goods or even larger items like houses and cars. This leaves the victim in debt, and it will also leave the victim with a series of credit defaults attached to their name. It is just debilitating for the victim, who then has to go and try to prove to creditors they didn’t initiate the credit in order to clear the bad credit history.

To prevent this from happening to you, we have compiled a quick list of some ways you can prevent becoming a scam or identity theft victim:

1. Keep virus software up to date on your computers. Install automatic updates and perform regular virus scans.
2. Be careful with unsolicited emails. Check the email address before you click on links and attachments.
3. Keep your privacy settings secure on all social networking sites.
4. Keep your passwords and PIN numbers secure. Don’t carry PIN numbers with your credit/debit cards, change passwords regularly and use a variety of passwords for different purposes.
5. Check all your credit card and bank statements each time they come in.
6. Cross-shred all personally identifiable information which you no longer need, rather than throwing it straight in the bin.
7. Buy a safe for your personal information at home.
8. Do not give any personal information or credit card details to anyone via phone, online or email unless you are sure the site is secure, and or you can verify the company details.
9. Be aware of who gets your personal information and for what purposes. What can these people do with the information they are gathering? For instance, is it really necessary for the site you are registering on to have your date of birth?
10. Keep up to date with the latest scams by subscribing to the government’s ‘SCAM watch’ website.
11. Check your credit file for free every 12 months. By requesting a copy of your credit file from one or more of the major credit reporting agencies, Veda Advantage, Dun & Bradstreet and Tasmanian Collection Service (TASCOL) you can be aware of any discrepancies which may need to investigated. Often it is only through a credit check which comes back with defaults on your credit file that  you may realise you have been a victim of identity theft.
12. Report any incident of identity theft, no matter how small, or even if you have been reimbursed for the damage – to the Police. The more of us that report identity theft, the more effective will be our Government and Police response to it.

For further information, visit these helpful links:

ACCC’S SCAMwatch www.scamwatch.com.au for help with how to spot a scam and how to keep personal details safe.

To report a scam, telephone them on 1300 795 995

Stay Smart Online www.staysmartonline.gov.au for help with how to secure your computer, and how to keep abreast of cyber-related crime.

MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs www.mycra.com.au for help with recovering your credit file following credit defaults from identity theft. Call 1300 667 218 to speak with a Credit Repair Advisor.

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