Yahoo Finance Warning for 150,000 bank customers
Scammers impersonating Virgin Money employees are trying to dupe Aussies.
Virgin Money is warning Aussies about a new scam phone call, where fraudsters are pretending to be the bank’s employees.
The scammers are claiming to be selling term deposits with interest rates of between 3.75 per cent and 6.25 per cent, with an investor deadline of January 30, 2023.
Virgin Money, which is a subsidiary of Bank of Queensland, said Aussies may be targeted when completing enquiry forms via third-party or comparison sites, or when expressing an interest in investing online via the Best Term Deposit Rates website.
Also read: Aussies warned over 'insidious' ATO scams
Also read: Warning to Aussies over ‘dad’ scam text: ‘I brought the wrong card’
Also read: ACCC warns Aussies to ‘be cautious’ amid $20 million loss
Virgin Money Australia customer advocate Ben Griffin said imposter bond and investment scams were on the rise and urged customers to look out for “red flags” before making a financial decision.
“Investments or bonds offering unrealistically high returns, urgent or limited-time opportunities are usually good indicators that the offer may be a scam,” Griffin said.
“These scammers are very savvy at pressuring people to invest by convincing them this is the only time the offer is available, otherwise they will miss out on returns that can’t be matched.”
Other warning signs included ‘lookalike’ email addresses, such as enquiry@vm-onboarding.com, contact from non-genuine phone numbers, unusual requests for personal information, and being asked to pay funds directly into a bank account, Griffin said.
“Remember, scammers can pretend to be anyone online or over the phone. Falling victim to a scam can be as simple as clicking on a link or providing your personal details without thinking it through – don’t risk it,” he said.
Scams on the rise
ME Bank, another subsidiary of Bank of Queensland, has also warned customers about scam calls impersonating the bank.
In this case, scammers are targeting customers who may have previously fallen victim to a scam and trying to steal their personal and banking information.
Aussies lost more than $526 million to scams in 2022, with scammers directly targeting people through texts, emails, phone calls and online messages.
Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
