St George Security Alert

STG_security-alertFor quite some time now I have received on average about a call a week from these scammers . Before I hang up I tell the person calling that they are working for a scamming company and that they should quit and get an honest job. I received this from my bank about the scam.
Dear Thomas,
At St George, helping our customers avoid falling victim to scams is our top priority. We’d like to make you aware of a current phone scam targeting Australians.
The scam involves a caller posing as an employee of a large telco, utility provider or computer company. The caller will usually advise they are calling you because your PC has malicious software, help is needed to catch a criminal, or to recover an outstanding debt owed to a government body. Callers may become quite aggressive or threaten you with prosecution if you do not comply with their request.
Thomas, we strongly recommend you simply hang up if you receive this type of call. If you believe the call was legitimate, we recommend you return the call to the company using a trusted phone number found in the yellow pages or on the company’s website.
How this type of scam works:
The caller will generally ask you to install a piece of software onto your PC. The technical name is ‘remote access software’ and this software allows information, or even control of your computer to be shared remotely with another user. Once the software is installed, the other user may attempt to control your computer without your permission or knowledge.
The caller will ask you to sign into your Internet Banking to check your account balances, return deposited funds, pay a fee for their service or even purchase gifts cards. At this point you may not know the caller is controlling your computer.
You will now have an increased balance in your transaction account, giving the false impression that a deposit has been made. Callers will generally ask you to return this via internet banking, a money transfer agent or in cash.
Before making any payments or returning funds to the caller by internet banking, credit cards or cash, please thoroughly check all of your account transactions, including your credit cards. In reported cases of this scam, customers have had funds transferred unknowingly between their own accounts by the caller.
What should I do?
Remember, do not disclose your Internet Banking logon details or St.George Secure Code sent to your mobile to anyone.
Share information about these types of scams with your friends and family, especially those who may be more vulnerable to this type of crime.
Stop and consider the caller’s request – would the company which contacted me ask me to do this? It’s OK to ask for a second opinion from a friend or family member if someone contacts you unexpectedly, especially when the caller asks you to keep this a secret from anyone.
Register for Government alert services like staysmartonline.gov.au to keep up to date with current scams.
More information?
For further information please visit stgeorge.com.au/scams
Thank you for using St George Internet Banking.
Sincerely,
The St George Internet Banking Team

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