Below we outline the warnings from our government bodies in relation to online scams – please make yourself familiar with these latest scams so you don’t get caught out.
Fake News Articles Touting Cryptocurrency Investments
ASIC has also received an increased number of reports from people who have lost money after responding to advertisements promoting crypto-assets (or cryptocurrency) and contracts for difference (CFD) trading, disguised as fake news articles.
Some advertisements and websites falsely use ASIC logos or misleadingly say the investment is “approved” by ASIC.
A common scam tactic is promoting fake articles via social media. They look realistic and impersonate real news outlets like Forbes Business Magazine, ABC News, Sunrise and The Project.
Once someone clicks on these advertisements or fake articles, they’re directed to a site that is not linked with the impersonated publication at which point they are asked to provide their name and contact details. Scammers then get in contact, promising investments with unrealistically high returns.
Many of these scams originate overseas. Once money has left Australia it’s extremely hard to recover and neither banks nor ASIC are likely to be able to get it back.
Cold Calls And Emails Encouraging Superannuation Rollovers
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has recently advised it is aware of scams that target Australians and encourage them to establish self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs).
People are cold-called or emailed, and scammers pretending to be financial advisers encourage the transfer of funds from an existing super account to a new SMSF, claiming it will lead to high returns of 8% to 20% (or more) per year. If the recipient of the call proceeds, the outcome is that their super balance is instead transferred to a bank account controlled by the scammers.
Beware: Phishing And Investment Scams On The Rise Emails Impersonating myGov
The ATO and Services Australia have issued a warning about a new email phishing scam doing the rounds. The emails claim to be from “myGov” and include screenshots of the myGovID app. myGovID can be used to prove who you are when accessing Australian government online services.
The scam emails ask people to click a link to fill in a “secure form” on a fake myGov page. The form requests personal identifying information and banking details.
This scam is all about collecting personal information rather than gaining access to live information via myGov or myGovID. ATO systems, myGov and myGovID have not been compromised.
The ATO and myGov do send emails and SMS messages, but they will never include clickable hyperlinks directing you to a login page for online services.
