Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe today issued an urgent warning to Queanbeyan residents to be wary of a scam where telephone callers offer to reimburse overpaid tax.

Mr Stowe said this week a Queanbeyan resident alerted NSW Fair Trading to a phone call they received from a man claiming to be a verification officer from an organisation called Money Saving Experts.

The caller stated the consumer had paid too much tax to the value of $3,600 and if the consumer deposited $290 at the post office they would be returned the overpaid amount.

The caller quoted the application number RG00784 and provided the consumer with the contact of Shaun Russell on 02 8006 9194.

“If ten consumers fall for this scam, that’s $2,900 in the scammer’s pocket for very little effort,” Mr Stowe said.

“The best way to avoid falling victim to a scam is to approach any unsolicited contact with extreme caution.”

Mr Stowe said scammer’s use a variety of methods and elaborate tall tales to lure unsuspecting consumers into their web.

“Scammer’s will approach you by phone, letter, text, email and bogus websites to obtain your personal information,” he said.

“Consumers should resist the urge to respond and under no circumstances provide or confirm bank details or make any payment.”

Mr Stowe said legitimate organisations will not ask you for personal information, so if you are approached in this way assume you’re the target of a scam.

“If you receive a suspicious phone call, tell them you will call back on a number listed in the phonebook,” he said.

“Contact organisations directly by telephone to confirm an email’s authenticity or go directly to the official website and look for information there.

“If you believe you have been targeted by a scam you should contact your bank or financial institution immediately and check your bank statements.”

Fair Trading advice to avoid being scammed:

• Don’t respond to offers, deals or requests for your personal details. Stop. Take time to independently check the request or offer.
• Never send money or give credit card, account or other personal details to anyone who makes unsolicited offers or requests for your information.
• Don’t rely on glowing testimonials: find solid evidence from independent sources (not those provided with the offer).
• Never respond to out of the blue requests for your personal details.
• Always type in the address of the website of a bank, business or authority you are interested in to ensure you are logging onto the genuine website.
• Don’t open unsolicited emails.
• Never click on a link provided in an unsolicited email as it will probably lead to a fake website designed to trick you into providing personal details.
• Never use phone numbers provided with unsolicited requests or offers because they could connect you to fakes who will try to trap you with lies.
• Don’t reply to unsolicited text messages from numbers you don’t recognise.
• Always look up phone numbers in an independent directory when you wish to check if a request or offer is genuine.
• Don’t dial a 0055 or 1900 number unless you are sure you know how much you will be charged.

For more information about Fair Trading go to the Fair Trading website.

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