Parish of Our lady of Pentecost

Another Year, Another Scam

  • May 16th, 2025
  • ParticipationStewardship
  • One Comment
Stop – Check – Protect

Scams are everywhere and are costing many of us not only money but peace of mind.  Scams target people from all walks of life and have no boundaries.  There are a number of trends that have evolved in 2025, and ones we all need to be on the lookout for, as scammers are always finding new ways to gain your trust, steal your money or your personal information.  Awareness is our best defence.

Here are some examples of scams:

  • Have you been contacted unexpectedly via a phone call, text message, social media or messaging apps or even via email?
  • Has there been a sense of urgency about the contact to make a payment, or avoid a problem like having explicit images shared, or are you missing out on an investment opportunity?
  • Have you been requested to transfer money to a safe account?
  • Have you been threatened with consequences if you don’t take action?
  • Have you received a request to give someone access to your device or download apps or software?
  • Have you been directed to click on a link via a social media advertisement?
  • Spelling mistakes in text messages, emails and URL addresses.  You may think the email address looks legitimate but look more closely for spelling mistakes for example in the company’s name, they may use .co instead of .com or an email from someone you think you know may have too many letters at the end of their name etc.
  • A video where the face and mouth movements don’t match the speech, or may have unusual pauses, multiple accents or varying pitch.
  • Don’t forget there are in person scams as well, where you may receive a knock on the door, or you may be approached in public and asked to provide payment for goods or services or they may pressure you into completing a survey to obtain your personal details or they may be asking for a donation.

There are also habits scammers don’t want you to have and there are ways we can try and protect ourselves for example:

  • Avoid using public wi-fi in shopping centres, hotels etc to conduct banking transactions or online shopping.  Scammers are able to set up fake hotspots or intercept unencrypted data which leaves your details exposed.
  • If you receive “spam” emails – don’t unsubscribe.  Scammers are known to use fake “unsubscribe” links to confirm that your email account is active.  Mark any suspicious emails you receive as spam instead of interacting with them.
  • If you don’t recognise the phone number, don’t answer – let the caller leave a message for you to review.

If you have been scammed and your personal or financial information has been compromised, please act fast.  Contact your bank or credit card provider and tell them to stop any transactions.  Report your incident to ScamWatch.

ScamWatch is a website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and led by the National Anti-Scam Centre which provides information to consumers and small businesses about scams.  By sharing details of a scam you have encountered helps to warn the community of new emerging scams and assists ScamWatch in working with other organisations to remove scam websites, scam ads and contact details.  Every report helps.

ScamWatch promotes three simple steps we can all take to keep us all safe from scammers:

Stop – don’t give money or your information to anyone if unsure.

Scammers will pretend to be from organisations you know and trust like businesses, the police, your bank or government services.  They will offer to help you or ask you to verify your identity with them.

Check    – Ask yourself if the message or call is fake.

Never click a link in a message.  Only contact businesses or government agencies using contact information that you find for yourself from their official website or app.  If you are not sure, say “no”, hang up or delete.

Protect – Act quickly if something feels wrong.

Contact your bank if you notice unusual activity or if a scammer gets your money or information.  Seek help and report the scam to ScamWatch.  When you report scams, you help to stop the scam and warn others.

To keep up to date with the latest scams go to ScamWatch.

Being scammed is a horrible experience and it can happen to anyone.  You are not alone, help and support is to hand and available through IDCare who are a not for profit charity that was formed to help individuals and small business who are at risk of identity misuse or need support to recover from a scam.  This is a free service.

Anyone can be scammed and everyone has a part to play in shutting down scammers.  By talking to each other, we can make sure no one is alone in the fight against scammers.

By Kate Baines 

 

Source:  Scamwatch

 

 

  1. This is very helpful information, Kate. Thanks very much.

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