Is this scam call?
#16
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,786
Re: Is this scam call?
Hi
I just received a call from a private number claiming they are from centrelink
they asked me to provide my personal information.
I did not give them any info, so the guy suggested that i should call this number 1800194053
I googled this number bout could not find it anywhere linked to centrelink
How can I know if that is a scam or genuine call?
Thanks
I just received a call from a private number claiming they are from centrelink
they asked me to provide my personal information.
I did not give them any info, so the guy suggested that i should call this number 1800194053
I googled this number bout could not find it anywhere linked to centrelink
How can I know if that is a scam or genuine call?
Thanks
#17
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 328
Re: Is this scam call?
I wouldn't stress about it Ken. If they call again, just say you're not comfortable with providing personal info over the phone, and ask them to send a letter instead. If they were genuine, that would be no problem. Don't stay on the line, don't engage in any further conversation or tell them anything else at all, just tell them they need to send a letter and that's it.
I'll just leave you with this - if they were who they said they were, they wouldn't need to ask you for personal information as they'd already have the lot.
I'll just leave you with this - if they were who they said they were, they wouldn't need to ask you for personal information as they'd already have the lot.
I will do that for sure, but I think (if they were geniune, the question about my info is just to confirm they are talking to the right person) so they want to match with the info they have,
they asked about my full name and date of birth.
I wont give my info to anyone calls me. so I rejected to provide info.
#18
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 328
Re: Is this scam call?
I was getting payment 4 moths ago, and it is end of fininacial year.
so yes there is business with Centrelink
#19
Re: Is this scam call?
I'm still sceptical Ozzie (although certainly not saying you're not right), scammers are very sophisticated these days!
Yes, someone from Centrelink shouldn't be calling you out of the blue, with no advance warning via mail, and then asking you to provide personal details that they already have. I would not tell these people a thing over the phone, whoever they are. It'd be "send me a letter".
BTW if it is really Centrelink, they're contracting their own advice about what to do if you're worried. How surprising, yes?!
Yes, someone from Centrelink shouldn't be calling you out of the blue, with no advance warning via mail, and then asking you to provide personal details that they already have. I would not tell these people a thing over the phone, whoever they are. It'd be "send me a letter".
BTW if it is really Centrelink, they're contracting their own advice about what to do if you're worried. How surprising, yes?!
#20
Just Joined
Joined: Jul 2017
Location: UK
Posts: 21
Re: Is this scam call?
I had a call once from a lady saying she was calling on behalf of Aus Gov asking how we find Australian Banks. She asked who we bank with (gave her a false one just in case) asked how long we had been with them, did we have any complaints, would we recommend them to anyone else. She asked for NO details at all other than who we banked with. Seemed legit, but I was wary anyway, hence why I gave her wrong bank. :-) Weeks later, we get a call from another lady, saying she was from our bank (the false one) and that we had been overcharged and they would like to refund it back, and asked me to confirm our bank details. You could have heard a pin drop when I told her we did not bank with xxxxx and never have. She soon put the phone down! LOL Damn scammers!
#21
Re: Is this scam call?
I had a call once from a lady saying she was calling on behalf of Aus Gov asking how we find Australian Banks. She asked who we bank with (gave her a false one just in case) asked how long we had been with them, did we have any complaints, would we recommend them to anyone else. She asked for NO details at all other than who we banked with. Seemed legit, but I was wary anyway, hence why I gave her wrong bank. :-) Weeks later, we get a call from another lady, saying she was from our bank (the false one) and that we had been overcharged and they would like to refund it back, and asked me to confirm our bank details. You could have heard a pin drop when I told her we did not bank with xxxxx and never have. She soon put the phone down! LOL Damn scammers!
#22
Re: Is this scam call?
I had a call once from a lady saying she was calling on behalf of Aus Gov asking how we find Australian Banks. She asked who we bank with (gave her a false one just in case) asked how long we had been with them, did we have any complaints, would we recommend them to anyone else. She asked for NO details at all other than who we banked with. Seemed legit, but I was wary anyway, hence why I gave her wrong bank. :-) Weeks later, we get a call from another lady, saying she was from our bank (the false one) and that we had been overcharged and they would like to refund it back, and asked me to confirm our bank details. You could have heard a pin drop when I told her we did not bank with xxxxx and never have. She soon put the phone down! LOL Damn scammers!
We really need a more proactive squashing of this. You should be able to dial a code after receiving a dodgy call. More than three such codes in short succession and the number should immediately be investigated and cut.
You can tell how useless is the current system in that you can type the number into google and find web pages with 40 complaints about the number on it, stretching back months. Nobody is jumping on them, finding the guilty, and jailing them.
#23
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,230
Re: Is this scam call?
I just don't answer the phone to any number that isn't in my contacts.
If it's someone who's genuinely trying to get in touch with me they'll leave a message.
If it's someone who's genuinely trying to get in touch with me they'll leave a message.
#24
Re: Is this scam call?
Well, last year I did a project for the health department where I had to contact close to 4000 people by phone. Because I didn't want 4000 people having my number when I worked from home it was blocked. Considering that the phone calls were about medical information I was not allowed to leave messages because of privacy issues. So in your case if you didn't answer 3 calls you would likely have been sent a curt letter saying answer your phone or your procedures will be cancelled.
#25
Just Joined
Joined: Jul 2017
Location: UK
Posts: 21
Re: Is this scam call?
The number of "this is just a survey, I'm not selling" is ridiculous. I gave a different name to one of these, and sure enough over the next few weeks I got calls asking to talk to "Dr X". Gave each one the rough end.
We really need a more proactive squashing of this. You should be able to dial a code after receiving a dodgy call. More than three such codes in short succession and the number should immediately be investigated and cut.
You can tell how useless is the current system in that you can type the number into google and find web pages with 40 complaints about the number on it, stretching back months. Nobody is jumping on them, finding the guilty, and jailing them.
We really need a more proactive squashing of this. You should be able to dial a code after receiving a dodgy call. More than three such codes in short succession and the number should immediately be investigated and cut.
You can tell how useless is the current system in that you can type the number into google and find web pages with 40 complaints about the number on it, stretching back months. Nobody is jumping on them, finding the guilty, and jailing them.
#26
Re: Is this scam call?
If you were receiving payments, log in to your my.gov account and there will be letters from Centrelink in your inbox with all tax info statements etc. If there's nothing in the inbox, it was probably a scam.