Community Announcement – Telstra Cyber Security Scam Alert
NBN Robo-Call
Scam Alert. Cybertrace was notified of a phone scam in progress where scammers contacted an individual in the Northern Rivers area of NSW, initially via an automated robotic voice message relating to the NBN. The victim then made phone contact as instructed. The victim was told they were speaking with Telstra Cyber Security and advised their computer had been hacked. The scammers were very convincing and organised. The victim provided access to their computer via a remote access platform and signed into bank accounts.
Cybertrace notified and offered support
The victim sensed something was not right and contacted Cybertrace part-way through the process. Cybertrace immediately advised the victim to turn off their computer and modem. The scammers immediately contacted the victim via phone, however they quickly terminated the phone call once they were aware that Cybertrace analysts were listening in.
Timely cyber-safety reminder
This is a timely reminder to Australians about these types of scams. Never return a phone call from a robotic voice, never let anyone you don’t know remotely access your computer and especially never log in to your online bank accounts for anyone else. There is no genuine reason for anyone to ask this!
According to Telstra:
“These scam callers will often try to convince you of the urgent need to follow their instructions. Sometimes they will try to convince you to give them access to your computer remotely, such as by pretending to be a Telstra service representative. Often, they will apply inappropriate pressure as part of their scam.”
Telstra confirms they would never contact anyone asking to gain remote access to a computer or to log in to online bank accounts.
What to do
In these situations, we highly recommend terminating the call immediately, reporting the matter to the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN) www.cyber.gov.au/report and seeking advice from Cybertrace cyber-fraud experts. Cybertrace staff are available for advice relating to incidents, and we can assist you with investigating any such events.
