We are urging our Members to be wary of phone messages from a family member or friend claiming they need help, following a significant rise in 'Hi Mum' scams. The scammer will claim they have lost or damaged their phone and are making contact from a new number, most often contact is made through WhatsApp.
Once they develop a rapport, the scammer will ask for personal information or money for urgent expenses as they can't access online banking. If you are concerned about the security of your account or believe you have been scammed, contact us immediately on 1300 36 2000.
To find out more information about this scam, visit ACCC here.
With the increase in online scams, it’s crucial to learn about different scam types and prevention strategies to safeguard your financial well-being. An impersonation scam involves scammers posing as trustworthy individuals to trick victims into sharing sensitive information or taking actions that can result in financial harm.
Impersonation scams can take various forms, such as:
Email Phishing: Scammers send emails mimicking legitimate sources, urging recipients to click links, download files, or provide personal data like passwords and credit card information.
CEO Fraud/Business Email Compromise: Scammers impersonate high-level executives, coaxing employees into financial transactions or revealing confidential details, leading to substantial corporate losses.
Romance Scams: Fraudsters create fake personas to forge romantic connections, exploiting trust to request money by fabricating financial crises.
Government Impersonations: Scammers masquerade as officials, using threats of legal action or fines to manipulate victims into making payments or sharing personal data.
Social Media Impersonation: Scammers create fake profiles on social media platforms, often using the names and photos of real individuals, to deceive users into believing they are interacting with someone they know and trust. They may then ask for money or personal information.
Lottery and Prize Scams: Scammers falsely declare victims as lottery winners, demanding upfront payments or personal data to claim fictitious prizes, resulting in financial loss or identity theft.
To avoid falling victim to impersonation scams, its important to exercise caution and follow these guidelines:
Confirm Identities: Independently verify contacts' identities, particularly if they seek personal or financial data. If in doubt, hang up or delete the message and call us on 1300 36 2000.
Question Urgent Appeals: Be cautious of urgent requests pressuring swift decisions; take time to evaluate without haste.
Use Official Contact Information: Reach out through established official contact details instead of clicking links in emails.
Educate Yourself: Familiarize yourself with common scam tactics, especially for unexpected requests involving sensitive info or payments.
Secure Accounts: Use strong, unique passwords for different online accounts and change frequently.
Enable two-factor authentication where possible, and regularly update your devices and software to stay protected against potential breaches.
You should regularly monitor your bank account for any unusual or unauthorised transactions.
If you suspect you've been targeted by an impersonation scam or any other scams, call us immediately on 1300 36 2000.
Many of our Members are well known to our staff. We recognise their voices because we have served them for many years. Therefore, we also know when someone is trying to impersonate them.
Last week, we received a call from someone who was trying to impersonate a Member, whom we happen to know very well. Our staff picked up on it straight away and stopped the scam immediately. Shortly after, the Member contacted us to advise that she had provided her personal information to someone in a suspicious call. We advised the Member that we had stopped the scammer from accessing her bank account.
We ceased internet banking access and all banking activities before the scammer was able to access her account online. The following day, the Member visited our branch and updated all of her personal information. She was very grateful that our staff know her so well, and that we were able to pick up on something like this.
Every day, we work hard to educate our Members to be wary of suspicious calls from unknown sources. Please remember that we will never ask you for your bank account details over the phone or online.
If you believe you have been scammed, please call us on 1300 36 2000 immediately.
We are urging our members to be wary of tax themed scam texts, emails and calls requesting confidential tax information.
These scammers often disguise themselves as individuals working for the ATO or other government agencies such as MyGov and urge the recipient of the call, text, or email to make a payment by clicking a link.
Common types of Financial Tax Scams include phishing scams, phone scams, identity theft and fake charities.
To protect yourself from these scams, please follow the advice from ACMA:
Do not click on any links in unexpected texts or emails.
Do not provide personal information over the phone.
Do not rely on the contact information given by the caller, or within the text or email.
Please note: the ATO will never threaten arrest, urge immediate payment of a fine or tax debt, nor will they cancel or suspend your Tax File Number. If you are unsure if a call, text or email is legitimate, please contact the ATO on 1800 008 540.
If you are unsure about the security of your account or believe you have been scammed, contact us immediately on 1300 36 2000.
For more information, please visit https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2023-07/scam-alert-end-financial-year-tax-scams
A member number is a unique number that identifies you from all other Unity Bank members. An account number is a 9 digit number linked to each different account.
When would I need my Member Number?
When you log into Internet Banking (also known as User ID)
When speaking with our staff, helping us to quickly locate your member profile when assisting you.
When would I need to know my Account Number?
For companies, government bodies and anyone who makes credits or debits to your Unity Bank accounts you need to quote our BSB number and the 9-digit account number linked to your account.
You may notice you have a number with some letters available, for example 123456L1.1. This is your internal account number and can't be used for external credits or debits.
How do I find my Account Number?
You can locate the 9-digit account number in your Internet Banking by selecting BSB/Account Information from the Accounts menu:
To find it in the mobile banking app select the relevant account from the Accounts page, then tap the blue coin symbol (for Savings accounts) or the blue money bag symbol (for Loan accounts) above your account details and it will be listed under “Account reference”.
You can also find your account number on your bank statement or eStatement.
If you need further assistance, please contact us on 1300 36 2000.
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is warning fellow Australians about a high volume of SMS and email scams pretending to be from the ATO.
These scams encourage people to click on a link that directs them to fake myGov sign-in pages designed to steal their username and password.
Scammers use many different phrases to trick recipients into opening these links. These include (but are not limited to):
'You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund.'
'You have an ATO notification.'
'You need to update your details to allow your Tax return to be processed.'
'We need to verify your incoming tax deposit.'
'ATO Refund failed due to incorrect BSB/Account number.'
'Due to receive a refund, click here to receive a rebate.'
The images below are examples of the format this scam can take:
Do not open any links or provide the information requested.
The ATO won't send you an SMS or email with a link to log on to online services. They should be accessed directly by typing ato.gov.au or my.gov.au into your browser.
While the ATO may use SMS or email to contact them, they will never ask you to return personal information through these channels.
Report any suspicious contact claiming to be from the ATO to ReportScams@ato.gov.au.
Source: "Scam Alerts" https://www.ato.gov.au/general/online-services/identity-security-and-scams/scam-alerts, July 2023.
