A recurring scam targeting elderly residents, through the sale of Itunes gift cards, has picked up in the Manning Great Lakes.
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Manning Great Lakes crime prevention officer senior constable Ray Slade said this week he received reports of scammers targeting a number of people in the area, particularly older members of the community.
“They are getting told to go and buy cards generally well over $500 worth,” Mr Slade said.
Mr Slade said around this time last year the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) released an email stating they had received reports of over 8000 phone scam reports.
In a number of cases, the scammers demanded payment for an outstanding taxation debt by way of Itunes Card.
Police are urging people to be aware of the scam and to let vulnerable members of the community know.
Mr Slade wants the community to share this information with those who don't have access to Facebook.
“Please remind your older relatives that no company will ring to recover a debt they will always receive paperwork prior to a phone call,” he warned.
“No government agency would ask for payment by Itunes or gift cards.
“If in doubt ring your local police station. Ask for a return phone number and the name of the person you are speaking to.”
Assistant Commissioner Janine Clark from the ATO said based on recent reports made to the ATO, iTunes gift cards were part of a new tactic being used.
“In many cases, scammers request payments that are either non-existent or unexpected,” Ms Clark said.
“By the time these scams are reported, the cards have already been on-sold or redeemed by the scammers. The scammers don’t need the actual physical card. They just need the gift card number, which they get victims to read over the phone.”
ATO has recently received reports of not only iTunes cards but also pre-paid Visa gift cards purchased from supermarkets.
“The ATO advises that they would never request the payment of a tax debt via gift or pre-paid cards such as iTunes and Visa cards. Nor will we ask for direct credit to be paid to a personal bank account. If the person calling you is rude and aggressive, threatening police or legal action if you don’t do something immediately – it’s not the ATO."