Tasmania Police have warned people about ‘cold calling’ telephone scams, including a currently prevalent scam promising the return of ‘overcharged bank fees’.
The most recent of these scams involves a telephone call claiming to be from the ‘Australian Banking Association’.
The caller claims to offer a refund of ‘overcharged bank fees’ ranging from $5000 to $7000.
In order to obtain the ‘refund’, the caller asks for a ‘fee’ to be sent via Western Union. The caller will also ask for personal banking details.
The caller will often solicit personal information and ultimately request payment of a fee in order to process the alleged benefit.
Police advise people never to provide personal details to people or organisations they do not know and trust.
In many of these cases, the caller will ask for money to be sent offshore, and that is a warning the contact is a scam.