Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Advance Fee Scam

Police say they are unable to help to stop a phone scam that has already sapped thousands of dollars from Monash residents.
Monash CIU detective Sgt Brian Nolan stated the scammers were phoning people and posing as representatives of, and telling the customer they were entitled to a refund. But the caller reportedly says that before the money can be released, the customer has to pay tax on the amount, and directs them to transfer the payment through money transfer service Western Union.
Sgt Nolan reported “The callers leave a number that appears to be an Australian number, but the number is re-routed to India”. He said the wired money was “basically untraceable”.
Ms Healey said “A scam of this nature is called Advanced Fee Fraud, where the scammer requests payment in advance, on the false promise of a big cash payout.
In 2009 to 10, Consumer Affairs Victoria received about 260 calls to its main advice line and 10 formal complaints about a variety of advanced fee fraud scams.
If you are a victim of a scam, go to consumer.vic.gov.au.

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