Scams like these

[Brissy1]

Couple of days ago, google searched something and selected a result, a legit site and started to read from it, then this appeared. And yes I know that on one of my google account my free storage is almost full and I get upgraded storage suggestions from Google.
But the obvious flag here was the "urgency" with that timer actually counting down. Screenshoted to share.

 

[Cossie]

haven't used wottsapp much, prefer email, but I got this the other day, yes we do have a genuine booking at this hotel, however the phone number attached is from a Clinic in Ecuador...... Similar to the booking.com ones, although I booked directly with the hotel.

Obviously I removed some of the info.

 

[clifford]

haven't used wottsapp much, prefer email, but I got this the other day, yes we do have a genuine booking at this hotel, however the phone number attached is from a Clinic in Ecuador...... Similar to the booking.com ones, although I booked directly with the hotel.

Obviously I removed some of the info.

I received one of these a few days ago for a booking that I had previously cancelled, so obviously not genuine.

It was made with Agoda, so it may well be that their website has been hacked.

 

[AuSammy]

'Everything looked real': How scammers are hijacking your holiday

Australian travellers are being left out of pocket and fearful their personal data has been stolen, amid growing concerns over the security of online travel bookings.

www.abc.net.au

 

[VPS]

Hello my friend,

I hope you don’t find this embarrassing because my intentions are purely genuine. My name is Chanlina Bomakara, I work with a financial institution, and I live in Vietnam. I contacted you because of my late client who was among the victims of Covid in 2020, and he could possibly share the same nationality as you.

Meanwhile, here's a brief history of my client. His name is Ronald Cobb, he was a civil engineer, divorced, and has no record of kids or beneficiaries in his record with me. He was among the team of engineers that built some of the major projects here in Vietnam.

So recently, I received a notice from the Ministry of Transport (MOT) requesting that I alert my client to complete the documentation for his balance of one of the last projects he did before his demise but they do not know that he is deceased and if we don’t act on it, the ministry will take the funds to themselves with the assumption that it's a lost fund.

Hence, I would like to present you as the beneficiary of those funds since you may share the same nationality, and we can have the funds to ourselves perfectly without any obstruction. I have every record so I will include you as his beneficiary, and the funds will go to you. I will present them with every necessary document such as his death certificate and also an endorsed certification to prove that you are his beneficiary, and then both of us will have the funds for ourselves.

This is 100% risk-free because nobody knows about this, just you and me, and it should remain our secret, no third party. Every step will go through a legitimate process to protect you and me from any breach of the law.

I will write to you on the next thing to do when I hear back from you.


Best regards,
Mrs. Chanlina Bomakara

 

[wandering_fred]

Dear Customer,
This is to inform you that we are sending to you your notice document in PDF format.
Thank you for being a valued customer. We look forward to continuing to serve you and provide you with the best possible experience.
Best regards,
Kempsey Council

Given my western location I refuse the suggestion for wandering
Fred

 

[VPS]

Not sure why I'm getting Telstra rewards from Peru



Dear Telstra Customer,

Your Telstra account has been selected for an exclusive customer reward.

* Not because you entered a competition.

* Not because you signed up for marketing emails.

* But because you've been a loyal Telstra customer for years.

We've unlocked a reserved code just for you:

Reserved Code

TELSTRA200

Complete a quick customer survey and secure:

65% OFF a Telstra Product

SECURE ACTIVATION

Only 200 of these codes were issued.

Once tonight ends, unredeemed codes disappear permanently.

Your reserved access expires at midnight.

Expires in 4 Hours

 

[VPS]

2/10 for effort

 

[Forg]

A non-scam message from Optus which I think is very relevant … they’re saying that from 1st July all Australian businesses must register their sender ID and when you get a message from a registered sender it’ll show-up on the SMS you get … and I assume any SMS from a non-registered sender will be marked very obviously as such.

It’s potentially a great idea, although I don’t know how the technology works so don’t know how long before the scam sending software will be updated to fake a real business.

 

[AuSammy]

A non-scam message from Optus which I think is very relevant … they’re saying that from 1st July all Australian businesses must register their sender ID and when you get a message from a registered sender it’ll show-up on the SMS you get … and I assume any SMS from a non-registered sender will be marked very obviously as such.

It’s potentially a great idea, although I don’t know how the technology works so don’t know how long before the scam sending software will be updated to fake a real business.

From 1 July, some SMS and MMS messages may show as 'Unverified' or from a different sender name. This is due to new Australian Government requirements for Sender ID.

What's a Sender ID?

A Sender ID is the from name of a message sender, often a business name, that's displayed at the top of text messages to show you who the message is from. For example, any messages you receive from Boost Mobile will display the Sender ID 'Boost'.

You might start seeing 'Unverified' texts.

In order to prevent fraudsters mimicking legitimate businesses, the Australian Government, through the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), requires all senders who use a Sender ID for SMS or MMS to register it by 1 July. From 1 July, Boost Mobile and all other telcos will check if Sender IDs are registered. If they're not, their SMS or MMS will be delivered from the name 'Unverified'. An 'Unverified' message might mean the sender is not legitimate, so it's a good idea to stay alert for potential scam or fraudulent messages.

 

[clifford]

But can't this be spoofed, and if so, won't it be more misleading, as people have been told and will believe it's safe?

 

[SYD]

But can't this be spoofed, and if so, won't it be more misleading, as people have been told and will believe it's safe?

Isn’t that the point - that it’s supposed to detect spoofed numbers?

Probably not infallible but a start.

 

[VPS]

A non-scam message from Optus which I think is very relevant … they’re saying that from 1st July all Australian businesses must register their sender ID and when you get a message from a registered sender it’ll show-up on the SMS you get … and I assume any SMS from a non-registered sender will be marked very obviously as such.

It’s potentially a great idea, although I don’t know how the technology works so don’t know how long before the scam sending software will be updated to fake a real business.

I got the same from Telstra

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

A non-scam message from Optus which I think is very relevant … they’re saying that from 1st July all Australian businesses must register their sender ID and when you get a message from a registered sender it’ll show-up on the SMS you get … and I assume any SMS from a non-registered sender will be marked very obviously as such.

It’s potentially a great idea, although I don’t know how the technology works so don’t know how long before the scam sending software will be updated to fake a real business.

Well and good of them, but:
Its pointless, really, as we all will still get sms from random mobile phone numbers, and its up to us plebs to report spam/scam and then block and delete.
If only we could just block and not get calls and sms from people we have blocked, instead my phones while does not ring on blocked numbers, I still get a notification that a call has been received from that pest.

 

[Forg]

Block & delete has no effect, except for the delete part freeing-up a bit of ‘phone memory and the block part stopping legit organisations you don’t want to keep hearing from (eg. the Queensland bush fire service).

But yeah, will be interesting to see how long it is ‘til the Sender ID system is spoofed and whatever gumbyment money was spent on implementing it is blown.