The client watchdog has sounded the alert over the brand new phishing rip-off, which sends pretend toll messages to drivers, tricking toll customers into giving up private and monetary info.
In 2022 alone, there have been 14,585 stories made to Scamwatch of faux highway toll messages, leading to $660,000 in losses.
The new rip-off sends drivers a spread of faux messages, some claiming they’ve unpaid tolls, whereas others say the driving force’s Linkt toll account has been banned.
Some of the rip-off texts use a spoofing approach, making them seem to have been despatched by the toll billing firm.
Queenslanders misplaced greater than $500,000 to phishing scams in January this 12 months alone, in line with the Australian Competition and Consumer Comisssion.
“So the ACCC has seen an increase of 469 per cent in reported losses from phishing scams in 2022,” ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe mentioned.
”We estimate that around 13 per cent of people report to Scamwatch so the losses and the victims of scams are much higher.”
Experts are urging drivers to pay shut consideration to messages acquired, to keep away from clicking on any in-text hyperlinks and to report the texts to Scamwatch and Linkt.
Source: www.9news.com.au
