Dealing with Telephone Scammers

Posted on 20 September 2019

Receiving calls from scammers can be unsettling and frustrating for most people.

How should you deal with scam phone calls?

Hang up immediately - do not engage with the person on the other end of the phone.
If you do end up in conversation, do not provide any private detaills.
Ask to speak with the caller’s supervisor.
Ask the caller for their name and telephone number so that you can check with the company directly.
If a caller says that your Telstra Internet service or your Windows machine has been reported as having technical issues on their system – tell them that Telstra is not your internet provider or that you do not use Windows and then hang up.
Do not tell the caller to stop calling you as you may provide them with more details. For example, you say ‘stop calling my house’ – then this will go on their database which is useful for identity theft. Simply hang up.

Remember, telephone scammers are professional thieves who know what they are doing and will try to fool you to either obtain financial benefit from information you provide them with or identity theft. As soon as you realise you are speaking with a scammer, do not engage, even if it’s to tell them not to contact you – simply hang up.

Here’s a recent example of one scam, which is why you should always verify who the caller is first and never give an unknown caller personal or financial information. A call purporting to come from the ‘Do Not Call Register’ asks if any unsolicited calls are being received and promises that in future all calls would be blocked. The caller then verifies the name and address of the account holder and then seeks billing information in the hope of obtaining bank details.