You’re probably as tired of the phone scams as we are, and Telstra is just as sick of them, warning customers of the practice by way of snail mail.
There’s a good chance you probably check your mailbox still, and if you do and you’re a Telstra customer, there’s a very good chance that you’ll be receiving a flyer soon, warning you about those scams we keep hearing about.
Don’t worry, we’ve had them, too, and in the flyer titled “Is it really Telstra calling?” the company will aim to show the sort of things scammers and telemarketers are saying, providing more ways to empower yourself with information to legitimately hang up on the callers and not put yourself, your wallet, your identity, or your computer at risk.
Some of these things include the caller saying “there’s a fault with your computer” and that “your internet will be disconnected,” with Telstra providing information on all of these in writing as opposed to over the phone, as well as telling you what Telstra will never do, such as call repeatedly about things you may have said no to, which is what scammers almost certainly will do.
“We know our customers receive phone calls from people impersonating Telstra staff, who try to switch them to another telephone company, or try to gain access to their personal information,” said Steve Banningan, Director of Cross-Company Complaints at Telstra.
“The conduct of these people makes it difficult for customers to tell the difference between a call made by an authentic Telstra representative, and a call made by someone impersonating a Telstra representative. To help customers avoid purchasing an offer that is too good to be true, or falling victim to a telephone scammer, the information flyer provides advice so customers will know if it really is Telstra calling them.”
While the information available in the flyer will be primarily geared at Telstra customers, it could also be useful for anyone who has ever had one of these calls to see the sort of script the scammers are using, identifying the words straight away and hanging up.
Regardless of what company you’re with, if you do get one of the phone calls and it sounds wrong, hanging up is the best course of action, a practice noted in Telstra’s flyer.
If you don’t and you follow the scam through, you might end up out of pocket and angry, as many of the scams reliant on these practices are developed specifically to find a way into your computer, using software to take over your computer remotely in the guise of support, with the result being a stolen identity or loss of financial details.
As a result, hanging up makes a lot of sense, and if it sounds like you’re being encouraged to give financial details, hang up straight away.
For Telstra customers, the flyer will be in your mailboxes shortly, while everyone else — Telstra customers included — can find the flyer at Telstra’s website now.
