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Latest Warning
Scam, Scams and more Scams - 16/7/10
Members are encouraged to be alert to the possibility of falling victim to a scam. Unfortunately there are many types of scams that often involve unsolicited emails, telephone calls and letters. We regularly provide fraud warnings and alerts on our website but the Government's ScamWatch website contains a wealth of information of many types of scams that you should be alert to. Warning: Phishing Email - 27/1/10 We are aware that some of our members have received unsolicited emails recently purporting to be from other Australian financial institutions which are designed to entice the recipient to provide secret access codes to their accounts, cards or other personal information.
Neither Community CPS nor any other financial institution will ever ask you for this type of information and members should immediately delete any unsolicited emails and never click on links within the email or open any attachments. Beware of unexpected pop-up boxes seeking similar information on web pages.
We ask you to read the warnings and other useful information under our Fraud and Security section that is provided to assist in protecting your personal information.
Warning - Tax Office Email Scam - 21/1/10
We wish to warn members to be wary of a bogus Australian Tax Office (ATO) email currently circulating which offers a large tax refund. The email, which uses an ATO logo and tells recipients they will receive 19 per cent off their 2009 taxes, is a phishing scam designed to trick you into providing your personal details.
We will never send you emails requesting personal information and members should immediately delete any unsolicited emails and never click on links within the email or open any attachments.
If you have received the email and provided your tax file number, credit card or account details, you should contact us immediately on 13 25 85 as well as the ATO. The Myth Behind "Free" Trial Products - 24/08/09 Many websites entice you with a FREE trial period. They usually ask you to pay a small shipping fee and claim that it's risk free or has a "100% money back guarantee". But if you carefully read the "Terms and Conditions" page (usually located at the very bottom of their long web page) you will find these "free" trial programs may state the following:
You may also notice varying amounts being debited from your Visa Card as some of these websites have monthly charges. By making their price appear random, they are hoping that it will stay buried among all the other charges on your statement as the amounts will vary each month.
Please remember: Once you have provided a merchant with your Visa Card number you are authorising the transaction and agreeing to all of their Terms and Conditions. Warning - Fraudulent Phone Calls - 28/07/09 We wish to advise that members of several Australian financial institutions have received calls from someone claiming to be from their Credit Union trying to obtain their card details. Please be aware that these calls are fraudulent. It appears the calls are automated, as a mechanical woman's voice comes on the line advising that the card has been suspended due to third party involvement with their card, and asks the member to press 1 to continue. Please note we would NEVER ask for your card number, and whilst our staff may call to confirm a transaction, or advise you if your card has be compromised in some way, identification is never requested by asking for your card number. If you have received such a call, and have given out your card number, please call us on 13 25 85 or visit your local Personal Financial Centre immediately to have your card cancelled and request a new one. Warning: Federal Police Email Scam - 23/07/09 We wish to advise members that a scam email purporting to be from the Australian Federal Police is currently circulating. The email advises you that the Australian Federal Police have been notified of suspicious payments from your credit card account and requests that you log in to a site to 'prove your lack of culpability'.
If you receive this email, do not click on any links and delete it immediately. If you accidentally logged into the site that the email links to, please let us know by calling our Member Contact Centre on 13 25 85. Warning: Scam email 'Protect your Visa card' - 09/04/09
We wish to advise members that a scam email is currently circulating with the subject 'Get verified now!'. The email advises you to protect your Visa card with a new password and links to a scam website that tries to trick you into providing your Visa login info. It also offers a 50,00 Euro bonus if you 'enroll and secure your card'.
If you receive this email, do not click on any links and delete it immediately. If you accidentally logged into the site that the email links to, please let us know by calling our Member Contact Centre on 13 25 85.
Scam SMS Phishing Message - 12/03/09 We wish to alert members to a recent scam SMS message circulating to mobile phones with the following message: I post your full Personal and Banking information at h**p://www.furtempire.cn/ If you receive this message you should ignore it and delete it immediately.
We advise members not to visit the web location in the message as there is a strong possibility that spyware/malware will be downloaded to your computer designed to steal your personal information.
You should never respond to any email, SMS message or phone call requesting personal information.
Centrelink hoax email scam warning - 25/02/09 "This email is a fake. Anything that suggests you need to submit an application form to get the Household Stimulus Package one-off bonus payments should set off alarm bells," Senator Ludwig said. "Centrelink already has the information it needs to process these payments to eligible families, students and farmers, so people do not need to do anything. If people receive this hoax email, do not open any attachments, click on any links or reply. Delete the email immediately from your mailbox, including your deleted or trash folder. People can call Centrelink on 1800 050 004 if they have received the hoax email. Warning: new form of SMS Phishing Recent information has identified a potential new form of phishing. People are receiving a text message on their mobile telephone advising that their banking details have been posted online at a specified web address. When accessing this website, it simply displays a blank screen, apart from a message 'downloading personal information'. After a few seconds the page automatically closes and the PC is restarted. We wish to advise anyone who receives this unexpected text message to delete the message and not to access the website nominated in the message. Warning: Social Networking sites Social networking websites encourage people to create profiles about themselves and then communicate with others and form online networks of friends. Social networking sites also have recognised dangers and some of these are outlined in the Australian Government Net Alert web site that can be found here. Warning: 'Death threat' SMS scam SCAMwatch is warning the Australian community to beware of death threat spam text messages from scammers pretending to be a hired hitman in order to extort thousands of dollars from their victims.
SCAMwatch and several police and law enforcement agencies across Australia have received reports of text messages warning the recipient that they have been targeted for death- but will be spared if they pay up. These hoax death threats typically involve SMS text arriving out of the blue from what appears to be an international number. In some cases the number appears to be blocked. A typical message reads: "Someone paid me to kill you. If you want me to spare you, I'll give you two days to pay $5000. If you inform the police or anybody, you will die, I am monitoring you." Some of the messages are long and contain all the text, while others are broken up into shorter messages. Also, reports indicate the requested amount can vary from between $1000-$50,000. The scammers also provides payment details and an email address to their victims. This scam is designed to frighten the recipient and has already snared victims across Australia and in other countries. SCAMwatch urges you to warn your family, friends and colleagues about this scam. Anyone who has received emails or text messages of this nature should ignore them - don't respond and don't send any money to the scammers. The scammer may also ask you to provide personal information, including your banking details. SCAMwatch strongly urges you to ignore this request as your identity may be compromised, and you may risk being a victim of identity theft. If you have received any threats like this- visit the report a scam page or call the ACCC Infocentre on 1300 302 502. Noting the text and the phone number may assist in any investigations of the scam. Should you ever be concerned about your physical safety, contact your local police.
Warning: Phishers use MasterCard securecode and financial discounts to trick unwary users 16/04/2008
Experts at SophosLabs are warning MasterCard users to be on their guard against any emails which claim to come from the company following the discovery of a phishing campaign which attempts to entice victims with the promise of money off future purchases. The content of this phishing email is unusual since it attempts to lure users to sign up to SecureCode and receive extra security protection for their MasterCard accounts, by offering a 16 percent discount on future purchases made with thecard. In contrast, typical phishing campaigns ask users to confirm details for maintenance purposes or due to database corruption. In reality, users that click on the link contained within the email are redirected to a phishing site, set up to look almost identical to the genuine MasterCard website. Visitors are then asked to supply confidential information including credit card expiration date, date of birth and the three digit security code located on the back of the card - ample information for the cybercriminals to then access and use the account in question to steal money. "MasterCard has been very successful in positioning SecureCode as the answer to online fraud, and with so many computer users growing increasingly worried about the risks of shopping online, the prospect of greater security and money off can be too much to resist," said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant, Sophos. "What's more, phishers are putting a lot more effort into their scams these days and to the undiscerning eye, it's almost impossible to tell this isn't the real MasterCard site. Computer users must be wary of simply clicking on links in unsolicited emails and should take time to verify the site address first - it may take a little longer, but will protect your money and identity from preying cybercriminals in the long run. Also, everyone needs to use a little common sense - if it seems too good to be true, it probably is." Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can control network access and defend against the threats of spam, hackers, spyware and viruses.
Warning: Trojan viruses targeting debit and credit cards
We would like to warn members of new Trojans detected that are specifically designed to detect and record debit and credit card details. Advanced Verification Scams and How to Avoid them
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