INTERNATIONAL conmen are targeting elderly residents on the Border by calling them and posing as tax agents.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Police have seen a spike in the number of reports from residents who say callers have tried to gain bank details and personal information over the phone.
Margaret Purss said she had received four of the scam calls in the past month and was warning people not to fall for it.
“They said Tony Abbott brought in some new regulations and part of our pension went into tax and that now I’m owed back $7600,” Mrs Purss said.
“I knew straight away that it was a scam call.
“They give a number you’re supposed to ring and they give you a reference number you’re supposed to give them.
“I’m just worried about all the people who think they are in the right and give them their bank details and then have all their money taken off them.”
Mrs Purss said she has had both men and women call her and they called at any time of the day.
She said she believed they spoke with an accent.
“I want to warn people not to fall for them because it is a scam, particularly elderly people who think it’s alright,” she said
“They will take every cent they can get off them out of their bank account if they give their numbers out.”
Detective Sen-Constable Ray Causer, of Wodonga CIU, said the issue had come to the attention of police earlier this month.
“The other one they are using is they are finding out people who have been defrauded in the past,” Sen-Constable Causer said.
“They say they have found the offenders and are going to target them, then ask people to transfer more money so the bogus tax agent can track it, which is all fake.
“If people are contacted they are not to supply personal details including bank account details.”
The Australian Taxation Office released a warning about a similar scam midway through last year.
Their advice was to ask the caller for their name and then phone them back through the tax office’s switchboard on 13 28 69.
If people think they may have fallen victim to a phone scam, they should contact the tax office on 1800 060 062.