Scambusters
Broome Trader Website January 2012
Rental Accommodation
- Be wary of renting properties sight unseen from landlords who claim to live overseas. Never agree to sign a lease, pay a deposit, rent or bond by wire transfer. For more information on rental accommodation scams go to www.commerce.wa.gov.au/wascamnet or call 1300 30 40 54.
- People selling boats or cars should be suspicious of potential buyers who claim to be from overseas or interstate and offer to buy your car or boat without an inspection. If you are the seller you should never pay for freight or shipping and be aware that scammers use stolen credit cards and fake emails from PayPal, secure account (escrow) companies and can use legitimate company names. For more information on car and boat sale scams go to www.commerce.wa.gov.au/wascamnet or call 1300 30 40 54.
Romance scams
– if you are looking for love on the internet be wary of cold hearted scammers trawling dating sites and chat rooms for your money. They may spend weeks or months gaining your trust and then make requests for money to pay for visas, sick family members, dowries, plane tickets and the like. Never send money, particularly by wire transfer, as you will be left broken hearted and out of pocket. For more information on romance scams go to www.commerce.wa.gov.au/wascamnet or call 1300 30 40 54.
– have you been offered a job where all you have to do is transfer the money that you are sent out of your account and you get to keep a “fee”? This is called money laundering and it is illegal. The money may have been stolen from other consumers and there is a very real possibility that you could be prosecuted and end up with a criminal record. For more information on money mule scams go to www.commerce.wa.gov.au/scamnet or call 1300 30 40 54.
Advance fee fraud
– if you are contacted out of the blue by someone pretending to be from your Bank, Centrelink or the Australian Taxation Office offering you a refund, a grant or advising you that you are entitled to a payment for being a good citizen then you should
hang up straight away. Legitimate businesses and organisations do not contact you in this way. The idea of sending money away to receive money is a nonsense. Never send money by wire transfer if you do not personally know and trust the person you are sending it to. It is untraceable and can be
collected anywhere in the world. For more information on advance fee fraud go to www.commerce.wa.gov.au/scamnet or call 1300 30 40 54.
- Won a lottery you never entered? The only winners will be the scammers who collect the fake transfer and lawyer’s fees. You should never have to send money away to receive money that is legitimately owing to you. Never send money by wire transfer if you do not personally know and trust the person you are sending it to. It is untraceable and can be collected anywhere in the world. For more information on lottery and prizes scams go to www.commerce.wa.gov.au/scamnet or call 1300 30 40 54.
Fake charities
– beware of fake charities that try to make the most of natural disasters. There are plenty of very deserving causes so make sure your money ends up where it should and not in the hands of scammers. Charities in Western Australia must be registered and be issued with a licence to door knock. Only use official donation phone numbers and websites and be wary when contacted out of the blue. For more information on fake charity scams go to www.commerce.wa.gov.au/wascamnet or call 1300 30 40 54.
– ask yourself why would anyone sell you a system to make money if it was a certainty? It is like finding a gold mine and then telling everyone the location so they can mine the gold. Gambling systems are often promoted as business opportunities or investments and can involve a consumer spend of $1,000 to $15,000 or more. To give them an air of legitimacy they may use well known personalities in their promotion. People have found that the systems do not work, the money back guarantee is not honoured and it involves hours of detailed data entry. This is so you get the blame for not doing it correctly when you don’t get a return (and we bet you won’t). For more information on gambling systems go to www.commerce.wa.gov.au/wascamnet or call 1300 30 40 54.
