Manning Great Lakes Police District officers have welcomed a reduction in the number of phone scam related reports. This outcome followed a warning from Chief Inspector Christine George last month that urged the community to be particularly careful when dealing with scammers.
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"It's really refreshing to know that since we did the report on scams, we haven't had any much reported to police in relation to it.
"It's good we're hitting the right medium and we're getting the people who are vulnerable in our community who sometimes don't look at social media or don't have younger family members to ask.
"The people who are very aware of the scams have been having a bit of fun with them,” Chief Inspector George said.
Despite the positive news, Chief Inspector George urged the community not to be complacent and encouraged elderly residents to hang up the phone.
"There are still scams going around and even workmates have been receiving phone calls saying there's computer viruses going around,” Chief Inspector George said.
"If you've got parents, grandparents, anyone who could be vulnerable to this type of approach, then you should tell them what to expect and tell them how to deal with it.”
She added that a predominant scam at this time of year is about failure to pay taxes.
Many residents have been abused or threatened, with some scammers leaving an answering machine message.
"I can tell you, police do not go and arrest people for not paying their taxes,” Chief Inspector George said.
Chief Inspector George highlighted the difficulty for police to track down overseas scammers.
"The reality is, they are pretty much untraceable.
"It's very difficult for the police to get any line on them.
“They’re targeting different nationalities, different ages and they’re very resourceful in extracting information from people,” Chief Inspector George said.
If you need assistance with a scam, contact Taree Police Station on 6552 0399.