'That way we know the scams that are doing the rounds, we can warn others to help them avoid it, and sometimes we can work with financial intermediaries to stop money from going offshore,' Ms Rickard said.Įditor's note: An earlier version of this article reported the ACCC received 50,000 reports of similar phone scams in 2017. The ACCC encourages victims to report their experiences to its Scamwatch website. scammers will sell contact details for people who they think might be susceptible to scams.' 'We're asked to fill in surveys to all sorts of things online these days, and in way too many instances that information is collated and sold off,' she said. Ms Rickard said he might have been unlucky enough to have his phone number randomly generated, but plenty of victims were targeted because they had offered their information freely while signing up for apps or entering contests. Leo's SIM card had only been active for one week before he was targeted. ( ABC News) How do scammers get your number? People are often targeted because they offer their details while signing up for apps or contests. 'Some mobile providers are prepared to do that, so it's worth a try if you want your money back.' 'The other thing that we know in the past about premium services is sometimes if you call your mobile provider and tell them what's happened, you won't end up having to pay the charge,' Ms Rickard said. 'That's an indication that it's a premium number and it's going to cost you extra to be calling that number.'īlocking problematic phone numbers and not returning missed calls from unknown numbers can help you avoid becoming a victim. To avoid extra charges on your phone bill, Ms Rickard recommended ignoring calls from country codes you don't recognise and from 19 or 1900 numbers in Australia. 'There's a complicated billing structure but people are charged more when they're communicating over these numbers and the money makes its way back to the scammer,' she said.Īustralians lost $48,830 to premium service scam calls and texts in the past 12 months. Ms Rickard said scammers made their money by enticing people to call back a premium number similar to those used by psychic hotlines and sex lines. Mobile Caller works through traditional phone calls, and is not dependant on the internet quality, so youre guaranteed the clearest calls to. 'The objective is to keep them on the phone for as long as possible.' Call Ascension Island From Your Mobile Because it can be used from a mobile or cellular phone, work, home, and pay phones, youll find you wont need any other phone cards to call Ascension Island.

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