Police are warning of a new scam that has been circulating in the guise of a speeding ticket. How can you tell whether you’ve received a legitimate message or a scam?
The scam has been targeting New South Wales residents, but it could easily be expanded to target people nationwide.
Victims have been receiving an SMS that claims to be from the State Recovery Debt Office (SRDO), a division of the government responsible for collecting unpaid fines and fees in NSW. The SMS states that you have received a speeding ticket, and provides you with a link to view the details of the case.
The SDRO does send SMS messages of this nature, but this scam message has a fake link that directs you to an unsafe website; do not under any circumstances click on the link. Messages from the SDRO will provide you with a link to the official SDRO website: http://www.sdro.nsw.gov.au.
To avoid falling victim to a scam, if you receive a suspicious message, whether it’s an SMS, email or phone message, make sure that you don’t click on the links or call the numbers that are in the message. Instead, use Google, your phone book or something else to find a contact number or website.
For example: if you receive an SMS scam from the SRDO, you can avoid any chance of falling victim to the scam by using Google to find their phone number or website, then contacting them that way.
These scams that involve a criminal masquerading as a company or government body are becoming more and more common, so it’s always a good idea to stay vigilant.
Have you received any suspicious messages recently?
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