Scammers will use almost anything to con unsuspecting victims out of their hard-earned money. In Australia, the latest of these unsavoury tactics involves scammers posing as employees of NBN Co.
In the last few years, as nbn™ has been rolled out across Australia, there have been several reports of telephone scams from callers claiming to represent NBN Co. These callers attempt to sell you nbn™ services at discounted rates, or warn you that your nbn™ service is about to be shut down. They then ask you to provide personal information over the phone, including bank account numbers or other details. Sometimes, they may ask you to make a payment. Unfortunately, many Australians have been scammed out of thousands of dollars this way.
These scammers are hunting down valuable personal information such as birth dates, Medicare numbers, and full names---details that could unlock bank and superannuation accounts.
Scammers appear to be targeting seniors and those living in retirement villages. They may make contact via a landline, and attempt to extract information from you. Occasionally, the scammers use the popular scam method of asking for payment via iTunes gift cards.
While an nbn™ scam is unlikely to happen to you, it’s important to know what you can and cannot expect from NBN Co. This ensures you remain vigilant and keep your personal information and your finances safe.
- NBN Co is a wholesale broadband company, so they do not sell directly to consumers. NBN Co. will never contact you attempting to sell any services.
- NBN Co may contact you directly (especially if you are registered on Medical Alarm or Fire and Lift registers), but payment or bank account information will never be requested during these calls.
- Never provide bank details or personal information to an unknown, unsolicited caller.
- NBN Co will never go door-to-door to attempt to sell you services.
What to do if you think you’ve been scammed:
If you believe you’ve been the victim of an NBN scam or other type of scam, report the incident immediately to your bank or financial institution as well as the police. You can also report scams to the ACCC via the SCAMwatch report scam page to help keep others aware.