Southern Grampians Shire Council advises residents not to divulge personal details over the phone to anonymous callers after reports of a phishing scam in the region.
The reports of callers claiming to be conducting a survey on behalf of Southern Grampians Shire Council come as National Field Services are in the final stages of completing the legitimate annual Community Satisfaction Survey for Councils across Victoria.
Southern Grampians Shire Council CEO Tony Doyle said the actions of these criminals is really disappointing but there are a few things residents can do to help distinguish between genuine calls from Council and scammers.
“It’s important to know National Field Services, who are currently finalising the Community Satisfaction Survey for Council, do not need identifying information as part of their survey, so they will never request personal data such as your date of birth, address or credit card details.
“The Community Satisfaction Survey is conducted annually with information gathered to provide feedback on your local Council’s overall performance over the past 12 months in relation to roads, services and customer service”
“We understand the timing of this scam makes it even more credible for residents to believe the person on the other end of the phone are from Council. This is extremely opportunistic behaviour from these scammers and is very disappointing for us as we gain really valuable insights each year from the Community Satisfaction Survey. We advise residents to be cautious when answering calls” said Mr Doyle.
Residents are advised that:
- The National Field Services survey is conducted anonymously.
- The callers will identify themselves by name such as "Mark" from National Field Services.
- They will tell you how long the survey will take.
- Calls will come from a number prefixed with (03) 9977 etc, not from a mobile number.
- They will not ask you for identifying information such as date of birth or credit card information.
“If you believe you may have been scammed over the past few weeks, please get in touch with the police and check out Scamwatch’s website for tips on how to improve security including updating passwords and contacting your financial institutions,” concluded Mr Doyle.
For information on where to get help if you are concerned you have been scammed, check out www.scamwatch.gov.au/get-help/where-to-get-help