Emails claiming to be from Optus are attempting to trick unsuspecting Australians into providing their credit card information to pay a supposedly unpaid bill.
A scam alert issued on Monday by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) warns it has been receiving reports about emails with the subject line – ‘We are unable to process your last payment’.
The fake emails are sophisticated and use a web address that looks like the real Optus website.
The email contains a link to a fake ‘pay your bill’ page, which then asks for your credit card details.
The fake email and payment form are cunningly crafted to trick people.
“It’s important you check the legitimacy of email links to protect your personal information –use contact details you find through a legitimate source and not those contained in the suspicious message,” ACMA advises.
If you receive this email, ACMA is advising people to delete it immediately.
The Federal Government’s Stay Smart Online initiative offers this advice on the best ways to protect yourself from malicious email messages:
- Don’t open messages if you don’t know the sender, or if you’re not expecting them.
- Be suspicious of messages that aren’t addressed directly to you, or don’t use your correct name.
- Don’t reply to or forward chain letters you receive by email.
- Think carefully before clicking on any links or opening any attachments.
- If a message seems suspicious, contact the person or business separately to check if they are likely to have sent the message. Use contact details you find through a legitimate source and not those contained in the suspicious message. Ask them to describe what the attachment or link is.
- Before you click on a link (in an email or on social media, instant messages, other webpages, or other means), hover over that link to see the actual web address it will take you to (usually shown at the bottom of the browser window). If you do not recognise or trust the address, try searching for relevant key terms in a web browser. This way you can find the article, video or webpage without directly clicking on the suspicious link.
- Ensure you have up-to-date anti-virus software installed on any device used to access email.
Have you ever been fooled by a scam? What happened?
I consider any email from Optus a scam.
This bad company treated us like dirt after it disconnected us for over 2 months and refused to fix its error (negligence!) because it simply did not care. Optus even tried to blame the victim.
Good luck to anybody who is with Optus if anything goes wrong.
Take them to the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman. I’ll say this for Optus, their prices are good. But God help you if you ever have to contact them: they’re third-world morons!
Who would have any dealings with Optus in the first place? Certainly not me!
I agree Optus is hopeless but who would you recommended. I fear they are all as bad as each other.
Optus is better than the totally dreadful Vodafone.
There needs to be a Royal Commission into the whole telco sector.
If you do not mind spending some money on communications use Telstra. Still the widest coverage, wife is with Optus and has to go to the window when a call comes in. My Telstra pre-paid works even in the “little room”. Been with them since the year 2000.
Good to know about these scams as we need to keep on top of them. Spare a thought for the frail and aged who will get caught out
My total lost with these two companies was USD232,876.21 as of August 1, 2019. I needed a major portion of this balance to pay off the down-liners who were threatening to file charges for misleading as well as fraud. Their combined balance is approximately USD300,000. ultimatefundrecovery a top wealth recovery company in the US brilliantly helped recoup 92% of my lost capital to these fraud companies all within a month. I can’t thank you enough bruce wilian @ [email protected] I am typing this with tears rolling down my cheeks! Please stay away from HYPER YIELDING INVESTMENT PLATFORMS to avoid the agony and pain I went through! Jack Wang
WHATSAPP:+14079061584
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