Scamwatch reported more than 8,000 incidents of remote access scams in 2023, resulting in more than $15 million of financial losses for Australians.
In remote access scams, criminals make unsolicited contact with victims, usually by text, phone, or email. They impersonate a legitimate company or government agency, such as a telco, bank, police or software provider, to gain remote access to a customer’s device for a fictitious reason, such as to fix a technical issue or to prevent their account being hacked.
The scammer may instruct the customer to download apps or software to allow access to the customer’s bank accounts and transfer funds or persuade the customer to do so.
ANZ encourages customers to be vigilant to all scam types, and to always stop, pause and consider any unsolicited request to access your personal computer, phone, or device.
ANZ Scams Portfolio Lead, Ruth Talalla said: “Scammers play on human emotions and use them to their advantage. They know a lot of people don’t understand the ins and outs of their technology, and so they use this to exploit the fear that their security, or finances, are in danger.”
“It’s important to be sceptical of any unsolicited contact, particularly if it is accompanied by a request to download an app, gain remote access to your device or ask for your banking details. If ever you’re unsure, cease the conversation, hang up the phone and instead contact the organisation through a legitimate channel found through their website.”
How to spot a remote access scam:
