When it comes to scams, I consider myself very vigilant with all my computers and other devices having reputable anti-virus protection software. I NEVER click on any link, preferring to log onto the website and purchase the items there. This is one of the best ways to stay safe.
Unfortunately, I made a mistake, I was not aware of, and this resulted in attempts to scam me in a matter of days. Fortunately, I lost no money but did have the inconvenience of having to cancel my credit card and then change the credit card details on all my automatic payments. I hope my experience can help you keep safe.
This is my saga:
I walked through the media room where my husband was watching on the large screen TV a YouTube video on the science of weight loss. Needing to lose those extra kilos from Christmas, I stopped to listen. It was all very convincing, but towards the end, the presenter who was a medico started to promote a product he was selling. My husband said we should try it, so I took a screenshot of the QR Code. THIS WAS MY MISTAKE.
I clicked on the QR code, and I was taken to a form to complete with my details and of course the credit card to pay for the product. As soon as I did that, a message came up to say the payment had been declined. I believe my credit card company recognised this as a possible fraudulent transaction. I then decided I really did need the product anyway and thought nothing of it.
Shortly after, I received a text message from my bank asking if I had authorised a payment of $4.98 on that credit card. I replied “No” and shortly after the bank phoned and said they had blocked the payment, but I would need to cancel that credit card and wait for a new one.
I then received an email from “Your Verified E-Bill” and the subject “Payment Done”.
I was immediately suspicious because the sender’s email was <wottenallen067@gmail> which is definitely not the email address you would expect from a company like Norton.
This is the content of the message:
Thank you for choosing our Norton 360 Security products. This message is a reminder that your yearly membership to computer protection has come to an end and is now being renewed automatically.
We would like to thank you for the completion of the maintenance plan.
We have auto-renewed your plan for 1 years and charged $499.99 against your account.
We understand that you are busy and hence could not get through to you when we are trying to contact you.
Hotline: +61 2 7259 3998
Order Summary
Product: Norton Complete Network Security
Invoice No. : GS-9645132-365147
Subscription Renewal Date: Jan 16, 2024
Renewal Status: Auto-Renewed
Renewal Amount: $499.99
If you have any question about this invoice or you want to cancel the subscription you can reach out our Customer Support at +61 2 7259 3998
Thanks & Regards
Norton360 Billing Department.
I immediately phoned the Customer Support where I explained that I had never used any Norton antivirus software, but he Customer Serviceman insisted that I had been subscribing since 2020. This was course was false. He completely ignored the question of who was “Allen Wooten”. I told him that if any money was withdrawn my any of my accounts I and would take action. I also forwarded the email to my bank and asked them to ensure that if attempt to withdraw the $499.99, was made, they should block the payment.
Within the hour, the bank contacted me to say that the email was a scam, and they asked if I had given them any personal information, including credit card details. I able to assure them that I had not. They congratulated me on being so vigilant but decided to cancel the credit card.
Fortunately for me I have one credit card dedicated exclusively to Online Payments with a low limit. The advantage of this is that I can quickly scan the few automatic renewals and any online purchases to check if there are any irregular payments.
The next attempt to scam me is most likely not associated with the QR Code incident, but one I think you should be aware of when trying to sell things online.
I had advertised on Gumtree, the sale of a kayak for $800.
I got an enquiry from what appeared to be a genuine buyer. The email went like this:
Thanks for your reply, I am Steven and I’m buying this for my lovely Son for his coming birthday ( just trying to be a good Dad to him). I’m out of town ATM now for work and i do not have access to receive calls at the moment due to nature of my work but I will be very happy if you can just get back to me with some information about it or pictures for me to see
Where is it located at the moment??? Is there anything I should know about it??? Why are you selling if you don’t mind my asking.????
I know it’s very hard dealing online this way due to the scam going around, but I can send you a copy of my license for you to be sure. As regards payment, I can easily make a deposit into your account from my PayPal into your bank or your PayPal account as I’m using a merchant account with PayPal.
Thanks, waiting for your reply
I explained that I did not share my bank account details online, and they he would need to send a friend or family member to inspect the kayak and pay in cash.
His response was:
Oh so sorry for that, but there’s no one to come for that please try to understand my current situation, can you get back to me with your payid???
I didn’t have a PAYID, so I went to my bank to find out about it. I was told it was the most secure way to receive a payment. I therefore had my PAYID set up and supplied the information.
After I sent the PAYID, I received this message:
Thanks for that. We are good to go now. I will transfer the fund into your account soon. Please am trying to sort out with the pickup agent though I am having a little problem with them now but hope to sort it out soon. I will email you when I am done with the payment. Kindly take off the Ad on the Gumtree advert as I will deposit the fund as soon as I am through with the courier agent.
Kindly get back to me with your final asking price so that I can proceed with the payment thanks
I then got two emails about the courier:
My reliable Transportation service will be in touch with you over the phone once the payment is completed and handle all the necessary paperwork.
Kindly get back to me with your final asking price so that I can proceed with the payment thanks
About to make payment and hope I can trust you. I will add $200 with the $800 I am sending into your account making $1,000 as the courier agent lets me know that they receive their payment before they come down to schedule the pickup, moreover they can only receive their payment via Visa card or Bank to bank transfer payment . and I can only make payments from my PayPal account because the money is ready in my PayPal account. That’s why I am putting in the extra money for the courier fee and I hope you can understand.
Kindly advise me if I should proceed with the payment
I then got this very strange email, supposedly from PayPal:
We are sending you this email to let you know that you have received the amount of $1,000.00 AUD in your bank account from King Steven, And it will still be pending and can only be credited into your account once you pay the charges fee via Apple card or VISA Card and provide us with some necessary information to be able to verify the payment and the Receipt, This is not a request by the buyer, but a new policy to safeguard fraudulent transactions going on at the moment. As we just needed the Apple or VISA card details to verify the payment on our system and the Fund will be credited into your account instantly we have the card from.
Visit any store or Supermarket now and get an apple card worth of $200.00 AUD and get back to us with card details and receipt.
1) Go to any store or Online at (https://startselect.com/au-en)
2) Grab Apple cards or Visa Cards worth $200.00.AUD
3) Activate it, make sure it’s activated.
4) Get back to us with the receipt and card pictures showing the card information.
Address Status: Confirmed All you have to do is to reply directly to this Email with the apple card and Receipt. Once it has been verified, then you will receive a “CONFIRMATION Email” confirming the full deposit of funds into your Account.
Please, understand that this is a new security measure intended to help protect both Buyers and Sellers.
Thank you for using PayPal
Sincerely,
Chief Executive Officer
PayPal Australia
When I was not forthcoming with his request, I got a phone call where the warning “Potential Fraud” was displayed.
By this time, I was getting suspicious, so I did a search on the internet for “Scams by King Steven”, and of course, there was lots of information about this man and his scams. One comment was “This is just about the most outrageous fishing scam I’ve ever seen”.
I therefore sent an email advising him that his phone number is listed as “Potential Fraud” and he had a number of mentions on the internet indicating that he was a serial scammer and therefore I am ceasing all contact by both phone and email. I blocked the phone number and have had no further email contact.
Viruses and Scams
According to an SBS News article, Scams that cost Australians the Most, $319 million dollars was lost to scams.
This is a significant amount of money, and everyone should ensure both their computer, phone and mobile devices are protected with anti-virus software. Personally’ I would want more than a FREE version.
I have done a quick Google Search and this is one of the results, but there are many more
If you run an online business, you should look at additional virus protection for the operating system. Using a VPN will give you that extra layer of security. A VPN stands “virtual private network”. It is intended to protect your online identity by hiding your IP address and allow you to use Wi-Fi Hotspots safely
Because I have multiple email accounts, and I get a lot of spam I also use a Spam Filter for emails. Your anti-virus protection, may include one so check.
I use a product called SpamBully. I love this product because it reads my emails and sends any spam email to a Spam folder. You will need to check the folder regularly as good emails may spill through. The feature I like most is the “Fight Back” button. By returning the email to the scammer you block up their emails.
Be Vigilant
While virus protection software may protect you from viruses, it may not stop you from being scammed.
Here are my suggestions to stop being scammed.
- Never leave your email on a public website because this is where scammers find you.
- Never click on a link to a website. Always go to the website manually and then purchase the product.
- Always check that the sender’s name and email address are the same. For example, if you receive an email from what appears to be a genuine company, say ABC Food Products you would expect the email to be something like sales@abcfood.com and definitely not xydef@gmail.com.
- Never use a QR code, but go directly to the company’s website.
- Do not provide your bank account details when selling personal items on the Internet. Instead, create a PAYID. The only function of a PAYID is to pay money into a nominated bank account, without the payee having access to your bank account details.
- Do not use public Wi-Fi. You can always hotspot your device to your phone or you can purchase a mobile Wi-Fi when away from your router. (You can also use a VPN)
- If you have unsolicited phone calls, don’t engage, simply hang up.
The worst scourge of all is ransomware. This type of email says that “you have been hacked” and then goes on to say they have been monitoring your computer via your Internet history and webcam. They then claim to have footage of you doing things of a sexual nature in front of your computer and if you don’t pay by cryptocurrency they will release a video to all your contacts. If you do have a webcam on your laptop, you can purchase a cover so no one can see what you are doing. I received one of these ransomware emails on my phone, however it did not appear on my computer. Therefore. I needed to update my phone anti-virus protection.
Finally, the Government and interestingly Amazon ask you to report any scams.
- ScamWatch (National Anti-Scam Centre)
- Cyber.gov.au: Website for reporting scams and recovering from them
- ASIC: Website for report financial and Investment scams
- Australian Taxation Office (ATO) The website for reporting suspected tax or super fraud
- Amazon: report spoofing on Amazon
If you have been a victim of fraud, this article will offer valuable advice –
.
Glenis Phillips SF – Designer of Financial Mappers and Advice Online
Disclaimer: Financial Mappers does not have an Australian Services License, does not offer financial planning advice, and does not recommend financial products.
