Yahoo Finance ‘Heartless’: Aussies outraged as scammers target bushfire victims
Scammers are targeting victims of the South Australian bushfires, SA police have advised, with members of the public reportedly receiving calls from someone claiming to be from the bank.
Victims said they were told the bank would like to provide them with disaster relief funds, and were asked for their bank details to deposit money into their accounts.
Also read: The AusPost scam that could ruin Christmas
“Police wish to remind the public not to disclose your bank details to anyone over the phone,” SAPOL advised.
“Anyone who receives a call of this nature is asked to contact police on 131 444 or report to scam watch on https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/,” they stated.
Commenting on SAPOL’s Facebook post, Aussies slammed the scammers’ actions.
“Very unaustralian,” one user wrote.
“I actually think that people are disgusting who scam others especially when they are in distress,” another said.
“Heartless, selfish monsters.”
How to avoid a bushfire scammer
According to Australia’s volunteer news site, Third Sector, there are three ways to avoid a bushfire charity scam.
Never give your credit card details to anyone you can’t verify;
Check for news articles or websites that have a legitimate call-to-action relating to the bushfire. If your bank hasn’t said it’s providing bushfire relief, chances are it’s a scam; and
Contact your bank immediately if you think you shared sensitive bank details to a dodgy person or organisation.
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