Scammers claiming to be NBN Co targeting unsuspecting Victorians
Have you been contacted by scammers claiming to be from NBN Co? My office has become aware of people receiving automated calls, or robocalls, warning them of potential disconnection. They have then been asked to make payments to keep their NBC Co connection.
Scammers targeting small business are becoming increasingly sophisticated, often going to great lengths to convince you of their legitimacy. This can mean:
- requesting you pay for fake invoices for such items as directory listings, office supplies, advertising or domain names.
- tricking you into installing software which allows scammers to access your files.
- requesting a ‘refund’ to an overpayment for an item you are selling.
- involving emails to obtain confidential information for fraudulent purposes.
Remember, never share bank or personal details with anyone claiming to sell you, service or collect payments for NBN services. NBN Co is not a service provider. NBN products are only purchased through a phone or internet provider.
As a small business there are things you can do to protect yourself and your business from scammers:
- Do not share your financial information (i.e. bank, credit card or gift card details) or personal details with an unsolicited caller or door knockers.
- Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer or devices .
- Remember that NBN Co does not make automated calls (robocalls) to advise of disconnections to a service.
- If you doubt the legitimacy of any call, hang up and call the company directly on their official customer service centre number.
- Do not use contact details supplied by the caller. If you think a request is suspicious, independently check business details and do a search online.
- Limit how many people have authority to buy or order something for your business.
- Keep your filing and accounting systems well organised as this will make it easier for you to detect bogus accounts and invoices.
- If you notice a supplier’s usual bank account details have changed, call them to confirm.
- Keep your office networks, computers, and mobile devices secure. Update your security software, change passwords and back up your data regularly.
For more information on scams visit: www.nbn.com.au/scamadvice or www.scamwatch.gov.au
