The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued a warning to all Aussies to be on the lookout for the latest round of SMS-based scams, this time targeting loyalty points programs.
People are reporting receiving urgent-sounding text messages purporting to be from high profile businesses such as Bunnings, Coles and JB Hi-Fi.
These scams try to create an urgent need for you to click on a link to redeem your points or rewards before they expire.
The links then take to you a scam website that looks like the real thing and prompts you to provide your login or financial details, which the scammer then steals.
ACMA says two key indicators that a text message may be a scam are “a sense of urgency – scammers will try to rush you by saying that your points are about to expire, and you need to urgently act by clicking on a link.”
While the other is “an incorrect website address – while the link leads to a web address that may contain the name of the company being impersonated, it will be different to the real brand’s website address and may include misspellings, unusual words or random letters and numbers.”
If you suspect a text message you’ve received is fraudulent, stop and check the number is legitimate before going any further. Don’t rush to act, call the business the text is from and make sure it is legitimate.
Have you received one of these loyalty point scam texts?
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