‘Government’ phone scam now targeting North Coast residents

December 22, 2010

Federal MP Luke Hartsuyker has warned North Coast residents over a scam where individuals are asked to hand over money in order to access a “government grant”.

Mr Hartsuyker said North Coast residents were currently being targeted. “These scams are run by very sophisticated organisations which are quite often based overseas. They phone people and advise the resident they are eligible for a government grant of around $4000 to $5000.

“However the catch is that, in order to access the ‘grant’, the resident is asked to send funds immediately, either through a money transfer business and/or Australia Post. Usually the money requested is a few hundred dollars. The resident is promised this money will be fully reimbursed when the government grant is paid.

“I strongly urge all residents to be very suspicious of such requests and not to transfer funds as a result of these unsolicited phone calls. The callers are polite and professional but can get pushy when it comes to encouraging residents to actually transfer the money. Some residents have been confused because there have been a number of government hand-outs in recent years. Some residents believe this is just the latest government program. This is not the case. The government is not phoning people and offering free government grants.”

Mr Hartsuyker said this latest con follows a similar scam which was recently being offered to local people.

“My office has also been contacted by residents who say they have received phone calls allegedly from banks who claim the resident has been overcharged fees and now qualify for reimbursement. But, once again, to access the repayment the resident is asked to transfer funds through Australia Post and money transfer company Western Union. The bottom line is if an offer sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. My office has passed on details of this latest scam to police and I encourage any residents who receive these calls to do the same.”