The March meeting of Forbes View Club saw Shannon Crowley, Manager of Westpac/ St George Bank Forbes, address members on the importance of staying alert when dealing with finances and personal information on digital devices or online.
The increasing sophistication of scammers is an ever-present threat to all who respond to unsolicited phone calls, emails or use the internet.
Shannon outlined many of the scams and phishing doing the rounds at present and gave some very helpful hints and reminders to our members on how to avoid scams.
He suggested “to always think that if it sounds to good to be true then it probably isn’t true”.
In his talk Shannon related some experiences his clients have had with scammers and what the bank can do to assist clients who have been scammed. In some cases, the bank has been able to prevent the loss of money while in other instances it has helped clients regain their losses.
“The most current scams”, he said, “use time pressure to buy things, that there is something wrong with your bank account and you need to go to the link or phone number provided, the ATO or myGov accounts need updated information or suggesting there is a refund waiting.
"Others include FB messages or texts where scammers posing as friends request urgent help as they or a loved one are sick and need money for treatment, or a son/ daughter who have lost their phone and are asking for money to be transferred to their account”. He went on to say, “one of the most common scams is the ‘romance scam’.”
Shannon suggested, “the best tips to deal with any of these is to remain calm and contact the bank, ATO, Centrelink via their official website contact details (not the ones offered on the email or text message) and deal with the organisation directly. With romance scams its best to talk with family or friend(s) before acting. Don’t be ruled by your heart and remember ‘if its to good to be true it probably isn’t’.”
Shannon also gave out a resource called ‘The Little Black Book of Scams’ provided by the ACCC to help spot, avoid, and protect yourself against scams. If you receive any emails, phone calls or text messages you think are scammers then report them to the business, bank, agency via their official website or contact them by phone or email.
Many thanks to Shannon and Westpac /St George Bank for his time and resources to talk about and raise awareness of a topic that causes much stress and anxiety for many.
View Club members are reminded that the Trivia night is on Friday 9 May and members who have raffle books are asked to return them by 8 May.
Anyone wishing to join in the fun can contact Helen on 0427201445 or Judy on 0408426115 to book a table. Tables need to be booked by 5 May.
Members attending lunch on 8 May need to RSVP to your designated contact person by Thursday 1 May please.
There will be a Bunnings Sausage Sizzle fundraiser held on the Saturday 31 May. Who will you meet there and catch up with … will it be your neighbour or a friend from across town… you never know? Come on over and find out!