Welcome to this podcast made possible by Vision Australia Radio. Your community radio station visit via Radio dot org for more information on Vision Australia Radio and our podcasts.

Welcome to this podcast made possible by Vision Australia Radio. Your community radio station visit via Radio dot org for more information on Vision Australia Radio and our podcasts.

Let's catch up with a very popular segment from Crime Stoppers Victoria. We catch up with Claire Dundas on a regular basis and Claire's with us again. Claire Levy to catch up again.

Let's catch up with a very popular segment from Crime Stoppers Victoria. We catch up with Claire Dundas on a regular basis and Claire's with us again. Claire Levy to catch up again.

Lovely to catch up with you, Peter.

Lovely to catch up with you, Peter.

Now this is very, very topical, particularly what's been in the news in the last few weeks. Identity theft.

Now this is very, very topical, particularly what's been in the news in the last few weeks. Identity theft.

That's right. It's very topical. A lot of people are concerned with the recent cyber attacks and all the coverage it has been in the media and it's also Scams Awareness Week. So it's tying in very nicely and there's a lot of information that we can get out there to the listeners about this topic.

That's right. It's very topical. A lot of people are concerned with the recent cyber attacks and all the coverage it has been in the media and it's also Scams Awareness Week. So it's tying in very nicely and there's a lot of information that we can get out there to the listeners about this topic.

It's a great case of be alert but not alarmed. The more we know and the more on the lookout we are, then hopefully the better prepared we are if something should happen and hopefully to prevent anything from happening.

It's a great case of be alert but not alarmed. The more we know and the more on the lookout we are, then hopefully the better prepared we are if something should happen and hopefully to prevent anything from happening.

That is exactly right, Peter. People do panic and they get scared. But that's not what we should do. We should aim ourselves with all the information and the tips on how to protect our personal information. And we can't we can't really stress about it. Sometimes it's out of our control, but the things that we can do is get all the information we can. And that's why we've released a podcast as of yesterday on identity theft. And we've got two more episodes in the Spotting a Scam podcast series.

That is exactly right, Peter. People do panic and they get scared. But that's not what we should do. We should aim ourselves with all the information and the tips on how to protect our personal information. And we can't we can't really stress about it. Sometimes it's out of our control, but the things that we can do is get all the information we can. And that's why we've released a podcast as of yesterday on identity theft. And we've got two more episodes in the Spotting a Scam podcast series.

Maybe we go right back to the beginning. So what is identity theft? I mean, I guess we kind of know, but how would you describe it?

Maybe we go right back to the beginning. So what is identity theft? I mean, I guess we kind of know, but how would you describe it?

Yes, identity theft is where a scammer will steal your personal information, whether it be it will be multiple forms in most cases. So whether it is your your bank details, your Medicare details, your my gov log in, it can be a range of different things for personal gain. So there's so many different implications of having your identity stolen. The first one is financial, so they're stealing your personal information to gain access into your bank accounts or your credit cards. The next one is that they impersonate you online, so then they use your personal information that they've gathered because they have so many different forms of it to open up accounts in your name, take out loans or credit cards. So we're talking about really serious implications here. And then they may even get onto your social media accounts and impersonate you to scam your family and friends. So again, we're talking about really serious things here.

Yes, identity theft is where a scammer will steal your personal information, whether it be it will be multiple forms in most cases. So whether it is your your bank details, your Medicare details, your my gov log in, it can be a range of different things for personal gain. So there's so many different implications of having your identity stolen. The first one is financial, so they're stealing your personal information to gain access into your bank accounts or your credit cards. The next one is that they impersonate you online, so then they use your personal information that they've gathered because they have so many different forms of it to open up accounts in your name, take out loans or credit cards. So we're talking about really serious implications here. And then they may even get onto your social media accounts and impersonate you to scam your family and friends. So again, we're talking about really serious things here.

And very, very serious. And I mean, the financial side of things runs it runs into millions people losing millions of dollars with things like.

And very, very serious. And I mean, the financial side of things runs it runs into millions people losing millions of dollars with things like.

This scam, which is reporting that Australians have lost nearly $8 million this year so far to identity theft scams. So we're not talking about a little bit of money. And I read recently that in the last five years, 95% of Australians have been served a scam in some shape or form. Not that they have been scammed, but they've received some form of scam, text message, emails, phone call or the likes.

This scam, which is reporting that Australians have lost nearly $8 million this year so far to identity theft scams. So we're not talking about a little bit of money. And I read recently that in the last five years, 95% of Australians have been served a scam in some shape or form. Not that they have been scammed, but they've received some form of scam, text message, emails, phone call or the likes.

So in that instance then what do we do if we suspect something is not right with an email or text? What should we do? Or shouldn't we?

So in that instance then what do we do if we suspect something is not right with an email or text? What should we do? Or shouldn't we?

Yes. So the one thing that I would stress is with any of those emails, text messages coming through, we cannot link in the attachment or the body of the email or text that says, Click on this link to update your details. Please avoid them. Act with caution. Scammers are so savvy and creative with the way that they go about things now, so they will have a link to a page that looks very legitimate. It might look like your myGov login page. It might look like your bank login page. And this is how they're stealing your information. They look very legitimate. They say, we need you to update your details. They've created a whole web page for you to put your details in and it's all a scam. So please do not click on any of those things that you find in text messages or emails. That would be the number one thing clear.

Yes. So the one thing that I would stress is with any of those emails, text messages coming through, we cannot link in the attachment or the body of the email or text that says, Click on this link to update your details. Please avoid them. Act with caution. Scammers are so savvy and creative with the way that they go about things now, so they will have a link to a page that looks very legitimate. It might look like your myGov login page. It might look like your bank login page. And this is how they're stealing your information. They look very legitimate. They say, we need you to update your details. They've created a whole web page for you to put your details in and it's all a scam. So please do not click on any of those things that you find in text messages or emails. That would be the number one thing clear.

Often when you're out having a meal or a coffee or whatever, you know, you and your partner are both on your phones. You're not talking to each other about your phones, but that might be using the cafe's wi fi network. Is that a safe thing to do, particularly if you say, I think about doing your banking or something personal, No payday.

Often when you're out having a meal or a coffee or whatever, you know, you and your partner are both on your phones. You're not talking to each other about your phones, but that might be using the cafe's wi fi network. Is that a safe thing to do, particularly if you say, I think about doing your banking or something personal, No payday.

I would never use those free Wi-Fi services to do any of your online shopping, online banking, anything that you might have, any personal information, because that's a really easy way for scammers to jump on because those wi fi networks are not secure.

I would never use those free Wi-Fi services to do any of your online shopping, online banking, anything that you might have, any personal information, because that's a really easy way for scammers to jump on because those wi fi networks are not secure.

So what do we do in an instance like that? I guess you make sure that if you do that private stuff, the banking stuff, etc., your time with your own private wi fi that, you know, you've got to you have got the password, too.

So what do we do in an instance like that? I guess you make sure that if you do that private stuff, the banking stuff, etc., your time with your own private wi fi that, you know, you've got to you have got the password, too.

That's exactly right. Use your own personal private wi fi. Don't be using the free Wi-Fi. I platforms that are out there, they're not secure. The other one, Peter, is that we should be careful what we're sharing online. So just because you're signing up to a website or a different platform question, why they're asking you for all this information, why do you need to give them all the things that they're asking for? It's always good to have in the back of your mind, especially with these recent cyber attacks, Once a third party has your sensitive private information, then you can't really protect it anymore. So there's a certain place that you're signing up for need your birth date, the year you were born. Does social media need to know all these personal things about you? We should be questioning that now.

That's exactly right. Use your own personal private wi fi. Don't be using the free Wi-Fi. I platforms that are out there, they're not secure. The other one, Peter, is that we should be careful what we're sharing online. So just because you're signing up to a website or a different platform question, why they're asking you for all this information, why do you need to give them all the things that they're asking for? It's always good to have in the back of your mind, especially with these recent cyber attacks, Once a third party has your sensitive private information, then you can't really protect it anymore. So there's a certain place that you're signing up for need your birth date, the year you were born. Does social media need to know all these personal things about you? We should be questioning that now.

There's a lot of software out there. Is this worth considering as far as making things a bit safer for us?

There's a lot of software out there. Is this worth considering as far as making things a bit safer for us?

That is a must. We all need to have security software installed on our PCs, Macs, tablets, smartphones, whatever we're using. And we also need to make sure that it's up to date. So when you get that little notification, your antivirus, your software needs updating, we've actually got to make sure that we're keeping up to date with them.

That is a must. We all need to have security software installed on our PCs, Macs, tablets, smartphones, whatever we're using. And we also need to make sure that it's up to date. So when you get that little notification, your antivirus, your software needs updating, we've actually got to make sure that we're keeping up to date with them.

So tell us a bit more about the situation with with the identity theft and what people can do with it and what you can do when that happens. I mean, you know, sometimes we're a bit embarrassed, particularly if we've been hacked as far as they've got money out of us. What's the what's the sort of best process to take? I mean, forget the embarrassment. I mean, sometimes you've got to kind of put up with that and certainly say, I did something silly. I made a mistake. We should report it as quickly as possible.

So tell us a bit more about the situation with with the identity theft and what people can do with it and what you can do when that happens. I mean, you know, sometimes we're a bit embarrassed, particularly if we've been hacked as far as they've got money out of us. What's the what's the sort of best process to take? I mean, forget the embarrassment. I mean, sometimes you've got to kind of put up with that and certainly say, I did something silly. I made a mistake. We should report it as quickly as possible.

That's right. So you're right in saying that you shouldn't feel any shame with Australians losing nearly $8 million and thousands and thousands of reports coming through of identity theft. You're not alone if you have been scammed. So the first thing you must do is call your bank and your credit card companies and immediately notify them of fraudulent activity and they can put a freeze on your accounts and they can even try in some instances and reverse the transaction. So that's your first point of code. You've got to contact your financial institution. Now, the second thing I will say on that is if you think that you've given your personal information away or somehow a scanner might have it, but nothing's happened yet, you can also contact your bank and they can put a sort of like a warning slash notice on your account to be monitoring it for anything. So that's what banks have the ability to do these days. And in the podcast that we recorded, we spoke with the chief information officer at Bank Vic, and he kind of went into some details on that. So they've got a lot of things in place to help protect their customers. So that's another tip there. And then you must contact the police so you can contact your local police station or you can go to report cyber. And that website is cyber dot gov, dot agu And all the information reports that they receive at report cited do go to Victoria Police to then be investigated. But one tip I will share is that if we're not reporting to the police or report cyber and for instance, someone's taken out a phone plan in your name and you're trying to rectify that issue with the likes of a telco, unless you have a formal police report, it makes it very hard to do so. So that's another good point to just keep in the back of your mind.

That's right. So you're right in saying that you shouldn't feel any shame with Australians losing nearly $8 million and thousands and thousands of reports coming through of identity theft. You're not alone if you have been scammed. So the first thing you must do is call your bank and your credit card companies and immediately notify them of fraudulent activity and they can put a freeze on your accounts and they can even try in some instances and reverse the transaction. So that's your first point of code. You've got to contact your financial institution. Now, the second thing I will say on that is if you think that you've given your personal information away or somehow a scanner might have it, but nothing's happened yet, you can also contact your bank and they can put a sort of like a warning slash notice on your account to be monitoring it for anything. So that's what banks have the ability to do these days. And in the podcast that we recorded, we spoke with the chief information officer at Bank Vic, and he kind of went into some details on that. So they've got a lot of things in place to help protect their customers. So that's another tip there. And then you must contact the police so you can contact your local police station or you can go to report cyber. And that website is cyber dot gov, dot agu And all the information reports that they receive at report cited do go to Victoria Police to then be investigated. But one tip I will share is that if we're not reporting to the police or report cyber and for instance, someone's taken out a phone plan in your name and you're trying to rectify that issue with the likes of a telco, unless you have a formal police report, it makes it very hard to do so. So that's another good point to just keep in the back of your mind.

Okay. That's another reason to make sure that you do report it, isn't it?

Okay. That's another reason to make sure that you do report it, isn't it?

Yes, absolutely. We can also check with credit reference agencies. We're entitled to a free credit report every 12 months. So, you know, you may have a good credit report and then all of a sudden you're denied credit on a loan or you're denied a credit card. That would ring alarm bells in your head that something's not right because you shouldn't have a bad credit rating. But scammers can cause you to have a bad credit rating. So checking that report very frequently is another thing that we can do. And also keep records of everything. If something's happened to you, when you've kept the text messages or the emails or anything that you have as evidence to help support your case is definitely something that you should be holding on to.

Yes, absolutely. We can also check with credit reference agencies. We're entitled to a free credit report every 12 months. So, you know, you may have a good credit report and then all of a sudden you're denied credit on a loan or you're denied a credit card. That would ring alarm bells in your head that something's not right because you shouldn't have a bad credit rating. But scammers can cause you to have a bad credit rating. So checking that report very frequently is another thing that we can do. And also keep records of everything. If something's happened to you, when you've kept the text messages or the emails or anything that you have as evidence to help support your case is definitely something that you should be holding on to.

I'm going to assume that if a number of people report a similar sort of thing, both the bank or the institution and or the police kind of collide, all this information in a patent starts to form, which maybe helps their investigations as well.

I'm going to assume that if a number of people report a similar sort of thing, both the bank or the institution and or the police kind of collide, all this information in a patent starts to form, which maybe helps their investigations as well.

That's right. The I would say, very good at doing that. That's Scamwatch and that's who are running the National Scams Awareness Week this week. They're very good about getting in reports and alerting people to the current scams that are going on. We had one recently was called the High Mum Text Message Scam and basically scammers were texting anyone but just saying, Hi mom, I've lost my phone, I'm in trouble, I need you to send me money straight away. And lots of people were falling victim to this scam. So they are becoming very elaborate that that platform scamwatch they were alerting people to that scam that was going around. So they definitely followed trends. And they try and get the information out there to warn other people about what's happening.

That's right. The I would say, very good at doing that. That's Scamwatch and that's who are running the National Scams Awareness Week this week. They're very good about getting in reports and alerting people to the current scams that are going on. We had one recently was called the High Mum Text Message Scam and basically scammers were texting anyone but just saying, Hi mom, I've lost my phone, I'm in trouble, I need you to send me money straight away. And lots of people were falling victim to this scam. So they are becoming very elaborate that that platform scamwatch they were alerting people to that scam that was going around. So they definitely followed trends. And they try and get the information out there to warn other people about what's happening.

You know, people are busy and I guess you sort of think, oh, yeah, that's possible. My my child is probably running out of money. I'll do this. And then then they get on with my day. And as you say, you perhaps are doing that thinking. And that can be a very, very, very, very costly mistake. Clare I've also heard about people maybe getting bills, for example, about something that purchased and I have no recollection of it. Is that another bit of a telltale sign?

You know, people are busy and I guess you sort of think, oh, yeah, that's possible. My my child is probably running out of money. I'll do this. And then then they get on with my day. And as you say, you perhaps are doing that thinking. And that can be a very, very, very, very costly mistake. Clare I've also heard about people maybe getting bills, for example, about something that purchased and I have no recollection of it. Is that another bit of a telltale sign?

That is definitely something that would alert you to your identity being stolen. If you have a bill turn up at your house that you have not made that purchase or you haven't opened that account, that would definitely alert you to the fact that someone may have used your name and your identity to open up that account. So you would need to be looking into that straightaway.

That is definitely something that would alert you to your identity being stolen. If you have a bill turn up at your house that you have not made that purchase or you haven't opened that account, that would definitely alert you to the fact that someone may have used your name and your identity to open up that account. So you would need to be looking into that straightaway.

So that's another reason, I guess, as you say, I mean, it might take a little bit of time while you're doing it, but it can save you a lot of time, heartache, stress and money in the long term to just make sure you arrest, you know, accounting for every transaction that you make. And I guess, you know, in defence of this all, in a sense, we make so many transactions these days online and with credit cards, etc., that it's, you know, it's a little bit of a job to try and keep on top. I guess if we do it on a kind of regular basis, maybe just sort of basis for the workload a little bit. And as I say, it probably puts a lot of the deposits in the safety bank as far as being peace of mind goes.

So that's another reason, I guess, as you say, I mean, it might take a little bit of time while you're doing it, but it can save you a lot of time, heartache, stress and money in the long term to just make sure you arrest, you know, accounting for every transaction that you make. And I guess, you know, in defence of this all, in a sense, we make so many transactions these days online and with credit cards, etc., that it's, you know, it's a little bit of a job to try and keep on top. I guess if we do it on a kind of regular basis, maybe just sort of basis for the workload a little bit. And as I say, it probably puts a lot of the deposits in the safety bank as far as being peace of mind goes.

That's right. We should all be checking our bank statements and all those transactions that are going through, because what scammers do is they put through a very small, small transaction, say a $4 transaction on your account or your credit card, because they're the ones that fly under the radar. They're not detected as much as large as sums up. And then that escalates. So once they get away with a few very small transactions, they can then up the limit. So it is a really good idea to be checking out bank transactions and all of those transaction documents just to make sure that nothing like that is going on.

That's right. We should all be checking our bank statements and all those transactions that are going through, because what scammers do is they put through a very small, small transaction, say a $4 transaction on your account or your credit card, because they're the ones that fly under the radar. They're not detected as much as large as sums up. And then that escalates. So once they get away with a few very small transactions, they can then up the limit. So it is a really good idea to be checking out bank transactions and all of those transaction documents just to make sure that nothing like that is going on.

When you can think I bought a coffee that I can't remember, but I'm sure that that would have been a coffee that I bought because we could then get yourself into trouble. Clay talked a bit more about people accessing or sort of impersonating your social media. Tell us a bit more about that. I'm sure many of us would have received messages, suspicious messages from friends on something like Facebook.

When you can think I bought a coffee that I can't remember, but I'm sure that that would have been a coffee that I bought because we could then get yourself into trouble. Clay talked a bit more about people accessing or sort of impersonating your social media. Tell us a bit more about that. I'm sure many of us would have received messages, suspicious messages from friends on something like Facebook.

It happens very frequently where you're messaged out of the blue from a Facebook friend or someone that you have on a social media account. And it's a very strange message or it seems quite weird. So social media accounts are getting hacked quite frequently. I guess the best thing to do is if you are concerned about something like even that high text message scam is call the person on the number that you have fooled and take the communication away from that text message or that messaging service that they're using and try and get in contact with that person with a direct number that they have because, of course, these scammers are playing on people's vulnerabilities. If you get a message from someone you know that you need, you're going to act and you might not think twice before acting. That's why we need to pause and call them on a direct line that we have for them.

It happens very frequently where you're messaged out of the blue from a Facebook friend or someone that you have on a social media account. And it's a very strange message or it seems quite weird. So social media accounts are getting hacked quite frequently. I guess the best thing to do is if you are concerned about something like even that high text message scam is call the person on the number that you have fooled and take the communication away from that text message or that messaging service that they're using and try and get in contact with that person with a direct number that they have because, of course, these scammers are playing on people's vulnerabilities. If you get a message from someone you know that you need, you're going to act and you might not think twice before acting. That's why we need to pause and call them on a direct line that we have for them.

So you know for sure that you become from them or it has and therefore you take some sort of action. Clare This is all very, very important stuff. I think I know the answer to this next question. What about changing passwords?

So you know for sure that you become from them or it has and therefore you take some sort of action. Clare This is all very, very important stuff. I think I know the answer to this next question. What about changing passwords?

It's so important. Peter. We need to make our passwords long, difficult, hard to crack. I know, I know it's hard to remember them, but even if you want to do a line in a song, something that's very complex because there's these programs out there that can crack our passwords that scammers use. And this simple, but the more simple they are and the ones that have one, two, three, four, five in them, or, you know, your first name and last name or your birthday in a very easy for scammers to crack. So we need to be using different passwords for all of our accounts and we need to be updating them regularly.

It's so important. Peter. We need to make our passwords long, difficult, hard to crack. I know, I know it's hard to remember them, but even if you want to do a line in a song, something that's very complex because there's these programs out there that can crack our passwords that scammers use. And this simple, but the more simple they are and the ones that have one, two, three, four, five in them, or, you know, your first name and last name or your birthday in a very easy for scammers to crack. So we need to be using different passwords for all of our accounts and we need to be updating them regularly.

I've heard that message, Clare. I've heard that you've done very well. Yeah, we going to the podcast. This one was out yesterday. Tell us a bit more about that and also the general public system.

I've heard that message, Clare. I've heard that you've done very well. Yeah, we going to the podcast. This one was out yesterday. Tell us a bit more about that and also the general public system.

They absolutely can. So the podcast series is called Spotting a Scam. We've got three episodes in the series. The first one is on identity theft, which we've spoken about today, which was released yesterday, and you can look out for the following two, which will be released in the following weeks. They're on icons, but we've also got a link on our website, which is Crime Stoppers, because you now in the podcast series, we interview two amazing experts. Detective Superintendent Jane Walsh of the Victoria Police Cybercrime Division. She is a wealth of knowledge and also Shane Caret, the chief information officer at Bang Fake, and he is just right when it comes to all the security practices they're implementing within financial institutions. So there's a lot of information in there, there's a lot of tips and go and have a listen. All we can do is. Ourselves with knowledge on what we can do to avoid being scammed.

They absolutely can. So the podcast series is called Spotting a Scam. We've got three episodes in the series. The first one is on identity theft, which we've spoken about today, which was released yesterday, and you can look out for the following two, which will be released in the following weeks. They're on icons, but we've also got a link on our website, which is Crime Stoppers, because you now in the podcast series, we interview two amazing experts. Detective Superintendent Jane Walsh of the Victoria Police Cybercrime Division. She is a wealth of knowledge and also Shane Caret, the chief information officer at Bang Fake, and he is just right when it comes to all the security practices they're implementing within financial institutions. So there's a lot of information in there, there's a lot of tips and go and have a listen. All we can do is. Ourselves with knowledge on what we can do to avoid being scammed.

To be forewarned is to be for clear. We'll give you details in a second now. Hopefully you'll catch up with us in December because we have an early holiday, i.e. we're still here in December. So you speak to us then. Well, if you do that, we'll give you Jan off. How's that?

To be forewarned is to be for clear. We'll give you details in a second now. Hopefully you'll catch up with us in December because we have an early holiday, i.e. we're still here in December. So you speak to us then. Well, if you do that, we'll give you Jan off. How's that?

Oh, well, that sounds wonderful. Peter and I will be here in December to talk to you and everyone else. And I'll have another interesting topic lined up that.

Oh, well, that sounds wonderful. Peter and I will be here in December to talk to you and everyone else. And I'll have another interesting topic lined up that.

Can to get in touch with you.

Can to get in touch with you.

So you can jump on our website Crime Stoppers dot com today. And if you want to call us with any information that you have because you know that we are a reporting service, you can call our number one 800 333000. We've also got the online reporting service as well. So if you don't want to speak to someone and you have some information you think the Crime Stoppers would like to hear about or read about, you can jump on that website again, Crime Stoppers, because, you know.

So you can jump on our website Crime Stoppers dot com today. And if you want to call us with any information that you have because you know that we are a reporting service, you can call our number one 800 333000. We've also got the online reporting service as well. So if you don't want to speak to someone and you have some information you think the Crime Stoppers would like to hear about or read about, you can jump on that website again, Crime Stoppers, because, you know.

They're great to catch up with Sprint next.

They're great to catch up with Sprint next.

Month. Great to catch up with you, Peter.

Month. Great to catch up with you, Peter.

Down two staff from Crime Stoppers Victoria.

Down two staff from Crime Stoppers Victoria.

This podcast was made possible by Vision Australia Radio visit via Radio dot org. For information on Vision Australia, Radio, News, interviews, reviews and more of our podcasts via Radio dot org.

This podcast was made possible by Vision Australia Radio visit via Radio dot org. For information on Vision Australia, Radio, News, interviews, reviews and more of our podcasts via Radio dot org.