There are several credit card scams making the rounds in Australia right now. This can be really frightening. If you become a victim of one of these scams you risk losing your identity, having your credit ruined or at the very least dealing with a big headache while you get the situation straightened out. This guide offers some key tips to follow if you want to protect yourself from becoming the next victim of a credit card scam.
Be aware of what the current common scams are. One of the best things that you can do for yourself is to stay abreast of the latest news about credit card scams in your area. This allows you to be on the lookout for those scams so that even if you’re targeted you don’t become a victim. Three credit card scams making the rounds right now in Australia are:
- Australian Taxation Office Email Scam – The Southern Courier recently warned that if you receive an email asking for refunds from the ATO you shouldn’t take the email seriously. It’s a fake email that requests credit card information in order to get a refund. If you provide that information, your credit card will be stolen.
- Windows Service Centre Telephone Scam – In this scam someone calls you and says that there’s a virus on your computer that needs to be fixed immediately. In the process of “helping” you to fix this fake problem, the scammer installs a virus that steals your credit card information off of your computer.
- Smishing Scam – The Herald Sun recently reported that scammers in Australia are now engaging in the act of “smishing”. This means that they send text messages to your mobile phone to get credit card information from you. For example, one scam involves receiving a text message that says your account has been blocked and you need to re-send your credit card information to unblock it.
Never give out credit card information just because someone asks. What many of the most popular credit card scams have in common is that they ask victims for their credit card information and the victims provide that information willingly. Make sure that you never do this! If you ever receive a telephone call, text message, email or letter saying that someone needs your credit card information, you should seriously question the validity of the request. Your credit card company already has that information and doesn’t need you to provide it.
If you do want to follow up on such a request, make sure that you never use the phone number or email address provided in the request to contact the credit card company. Instead, look up the credit card company’s contact information on their website or in the original paperwork that came with your credit card. Call that number to make sure that other requests are legitimate.
Review your credit card statements carefully. Being cautious about giving out your credit card information will help you to avoid becoming the victim of a credit card scam. However, the scammers are often one step ahead of us so you also want to make sure that you’re checking carefully to make sure that they didn’t somehow get one over on you. You can do this by carefully reading through each credit card statement as soon as you receive it to confirm that all of the transactions are for purchases that you really made. Always contact the credit card company immediately if something doesn’t look right on your statements. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to credit card issues!
This is a guest post by Kathryn Vercillo. She is a writer for MoneySmartLife, which provides credit card reviews and information.
Image: Sander van der Wel
David is Co-Founder of 
David Boyd
Andrew Boyd
St.George Vertigo MasterCard
ANZ Platinum Credit Card
ANZ First Visa Credit Card
Westpac Low Rate Credit Card
HSBC Credit Card