This week is Scam Awareness Week and it’s a timely reminder to all of us to be aware of the methods scammers can use, and what to look for.
There are several types of scams people can easily fall victim to, particularly as new scams emerge and become increasingly sophisticated. According to Scamwatch, here’s some of the more common techniques scammers use:
- Try to gain trust by claiming to be from a well-known business or impersonating a known contact.
- Suggest their own verification procedures, like going to websites they have created or calling numbers they provide to you.
- Know how to appeal to your emotions and press your buttons to get what they want.
- Create a sense of urgency to get you to make decisions without thinking.
According to the ACCC's Targeting Scams report in 2018, more than 378,000 scams were reported, resulting in Australians losing almost half a billion dollars to scammers.
We encourage all Horizon Power customers to be mindful of scammers. If someone claiming to be from Horizon Power calls, emails or texts you to ask for payment or for personal identifier information please call us immediately on 1800 267 926.
We are committed to ensuring the confidentiality and security of your personal information, and for this reason we do not contact our customers asking for information such as bank account details.
Visit WA ScamNet to learn more about false billing.