A recent scam reported to Bendigo bank saw a fraudster create a fake LinkedIn account to successfully gain the trust of their victim.
But a spokesperson from Bendigo Bank says the easiest way to protect yourself from these scams, is to simply hang up the phone.
“A recent scam case reported to the Bank detailed an account of a scammer claiming to be from a company the customer was familiar with”, Bendigo Bank’s Jason Gordon said.
“To legitimise the call and their alleged credentials, the scammer had created an authentic-looking LinkedIn profile and directed the victim to it in a successful effort to gain trust.”
He’s urged Australians to stay vigilant while criminals are increasingly developing methods to fool unsuspecting victims.
“If you did not originate the call and you’re being asked for information or to enable remote access, hang up,” Gordon said.
“This kind of trickery, combined with other tactics like spoofing – when phone calls appear to come from legitimate numbers and SMS messages appear in the same conversation thread as genuine communications – make it extremely difficult for people to detect genuine communications,” he said.
Half of all remote access scams reported to Scamwatch in 2023 targeted victims by calling them.
Scammers can also try to get in touch via text, social media or email.
If you see this at the top of an email, delete it
Gordon said that scammers use “every trick in the book”, to get access to your computer, including claiming to work for a victim’s bank, a utility company, or a government agency.
“Once access is granted, scammers may install malicious software, steal sensitive information, or initiate unauthorised transactions, leaving victims and their bank accounts vulnerable,” he said.
“Criminals are getting adept at carefully constructing often complex communications that convincingly mirror those of the brand they are impersonating,” Gordon said.
He said Bendigo bank will never ask for your details, and that anyone who received suspicious communication should report it right away.
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