Scams are on the rise, and we want to help arm you with some information to help stop and shut down scammers.
During Scams Awareness Week, from 26-30 August, we are encouraging our Members and the community to learn more about scams, speak up, share and report scams to help others.
This year’s theme for Scams Awareness Week is “Share a story, stop a scam.” It’s about helping others to spot and then steer clear of these digital deceivers.
You’re invited to join us at our community events in branch and at Stockland Green Hills during Scams Awareness Week.
Share a cuppa and a cupcake with our Financial Crimes Team at your local branch as we talk all things scam related - what to look out for, the common scams and trends they see and importantly, how to spot and avoid them.
Our compassionate Financial Crimes supports our Members impacted by scams and you may be surprised to learn you are not alone, if you have been a victim or have had a close call with a scammer.
Along with the Little Black Book of Scams the bank will also have its popular ‘be scam aware’ fridge magnets to give away, which have a handy checklist to run through when you receive a suspicious phone call to help you spot scam calls.
Please join us:
- Monday 26 August at East Maitland Branch from 9-11am
- Tuesday 27 August at Dungog Branch from 9-11am
- Tuesday 27 August at Raymond Terrace Branch from 2-4pm
- Wednesday 28 August at Maitland Branch from 9.30-11.30am
- Thursday 29 August at Mayfield Branch from 9am-11am
- Thursday 29 August at Edgeworth Branch from 2pm-4pm
- Friday 30 August at Rutherford Branch 9am-11am
Cupcakes will be available to the first 50 people at each event.
You can also catch the team at Stockland Green Hills Shopping Centre, just outside Coles, from Tuesday 27 August to Thursday 29 August.
We will also be talking scams with the wider community at Stockland Green Hills Shopping Centre (out the front of Coles) from Tuesday 27 August to Thursday 29 August.
By learning more about common scams and by sharing our experiences, we can keep our community be scam aware.
We can’t wait to see you!
Please remember: to avoid being part of a scam, you can take three key actions – Stop, Check and Report.
Stop: Don’t give money or personal information to anyone. Scammers will offer to help you or ask you to verify who you are. They will pretend to be from organisations you know and trust like service providers, the police, your bank or government services.
Check: Ask yourself could the message or call be fake? Never click a link in an unknown message. Only contact businesses or government using contact information that you find yourself from their official website. If you’re not sure, say ‘no’, hang up or delete.
Report: Act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank if you notice unusual activity or if a scammer gets your money or information. Seek help and report the scam to Report Cyber and Scamwatch. When you report scams, you help all Australians by building our defence against scams.
