SCAMBULLETIN April.pdf - Crandon for Coomera

- IN CONFIDENCE -
Interestingly, the company’s affiliated partner is PC Security Shield, better known as The Shield
Deluxe 2009, which is a known fake rogue application that will also scam users.
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SUGGESTED RESPONSE TO INQUIRIES
• Never allow a telesales caller to do work for you without first checking them out. Generally
the most reliable repairers don’t have to solicit for work
• Exercise caution – the callers and their assumed company have no idea of what is on or is
not on a users PC.
• Ensure firewall, antivirus and antispyware are updated and all Operating System patches
have been applied.
• Share your story with friends, family and colleagues to help protect them from this sort of
scam
• If you have provided your credit card or financial information to the telesales caller, contact
your financial institution immediately and cancel the card.
• If you have given remote access to your computer to the telesales caller, take your computer
to a Technician and get it ‘cleaned’.
• Report this type of scam via the SCAMwatch “report a scam” page at
www.scamwatch.gov.au or by calling 1300 795 995
ROMANCE SCAM
People tend to put so much personal information online now and it is easy for the scammers to
find it. The scammers become aware of people’s weaknesses, and they exploit them. It may be
an elderly widow who is lonely, or a businessman who is trying to stay afloat.
Scammers who target individuals in romance scams focus on building trust, on a more intimate
level. Often, the scammer will initiate an online contact that can blossom into what the victim
believes is a friendship. Some of these people converse back and forth for months, and as such,
the victim no longer sees them as strangers. The scammers will go to great lengths to gain the
victims interest and trust, such as sharing personal information and even sending the victim gifts.
For example:
In a typical romance scam, a retiree found someone who they believed to be their sole mate on a
reputable online dating website. They had sent photographs to each other and spoken on the
phone but had not yet met in person. The scammer claimed to be temporarily overseas with work
commitments and therefore could not meet up.
The scammer professed her love but required some financial assistance, claiming that both she
and her child had experienced a series of unfortunate events including accidents and illnesses.
She also requested money for a computer and a phone so that she could stay in touch with the
victim.
After several months, the scammer mentioned that she had inherited a large quantity of
gemstones and required some assistance in paying the taxes on these so they could leave the
country they were in and come back to Australia to be with the victim.
The victim sent approximately $200 000 over a four month period to support the scammer. The
love interest never arrived in Australia.