The NBN rollout is well underway in Australia; leaving opportunistic scammers to take advantage of the situation by calling, emailing, or knocking at the door of unsuspecting consumers to ask for their personal details or financial information.
Scammers are on the loose and contacting consumers to obtain their bank account details, claiming it is a necessary step towards getting services over the NBN.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, or ACCC, NBN Co and telco service providers will be providing legitimate information as the NBN rollout progresses, outlining service options once the network becomes available.
The problem is scammers usually take advantage of major government programs to deceive people and persuade them to reveal personal and financial information, this according to Delia Rickard – Deputy Chair of the ACCC.
She said they are warning the community so that everyone may be on guard and cautious as to the individuals they deal with before agreeing to provide personal information or making transactions as scammers might attempt to convince consumers that they need new or special equipment to get the NBN.
As a rule, residents and business owners must first consult with their preferred telecommunication services provider to check if they do need new equipment for the type of service they wish to subscribe to.
Ms. Rickard further discussed how scams usually worked; saying victims would get a call, an email, or even a knock on the door from someone who claims to be from NBN Co, or any other government department or telecommunication services provider.
The scammer would then ask for personal details, like the victim’s bank details, which he would claim is necessary to connect to the NBN. Likewise, the scammer might go as far to say that the victim needs new equipment because the existing one is incompatible with the National Broadband Network, she said.
As a final note, she stressed that NBN Co is not a retail service provider and will generally not require consumers to provide their banking details.