Impersonation scams

What are impersonation scams

Scammers impersonate people or businesses you trust in order to steal your money or personal information. They often contact you with a sense of urgency, hoping to catch you off guard.

They may come through as:

Businesses: like banks, ATO, Telstra, or Amazon.
Friends or family: they use technology to make their emails, texts, or calls appear to come from someone you know.

And are becoming increasingly sophisticated and harder to identify.

20 million dollars was lost to bank impersonation scams in Australia in 2022 . Here’s what you need to know.

A bank impersonation scam involves emails, texts or phone calls claiming to be from your bank. These scams attempt to capture your personal or financial data.

Here are three important warning signs that an email, text, or phone call from your bank isn’t legitimate.

1. Urgency or threats - scammers will attempt to get you to act quickly by demanding urgent action or using strong language to instil fear.
2. Tone or wording - even if a message appears in the same thread as genuine messages from your bank, unusual tone, wording or spelling errors can indicate a scam.
3. Links to update your details - never click links in text messages or emails claiming to be from your bank, especially if it’s a request to update your information.

Bendigo Bank will never ask for your details, or to transfer money. We will never ask you to download software or login via a link sent through email or SMS.

If you are speaking to someone claiming to be from Bendigo Bank, and you are unsure if the caller is legitimate, hang up and contact us directly on 1300 236 344.

Who are you talking to?

We are aware of a recent email phishing campaign that targeted Bendigo Bank customers. The message claimed to be from Bendigo Bank and included a website link that if clicked, led to a fake Bendigo Bank website asking you to login to e-banking.

Don't.

We will never ask you to click on a link in an email (or SMS text message) to login to e-banking.

Sometimes an SMS alert is also sent prior to a 'cold call scam' that seemingly looks like it is Bendigo Bank.

How to protect yourself

Take a minute and remain calm: consider what you’ve learned about different kinds of scams, then ask yourself ‘who’s really there?'.
The Bank will never ask you to transfer / pay money into another ‘safe’ bank account.
Never provide your password or PIN to anyone, even if they are claiming to be from Bendigo Bank and have personal information about you.
Check that the message is real by contacting the person or organisation directly using details you find yourself (e.g. official website).
Install anti-virus software on your computer/device to help detect suspect websites being accessed by your computer or device.
Always access the official website or mobile app directly, never via a link.
Don’t open or download any attachments or apps.
Don’t click on links in text messages or emails - we will never send a link in an SMS.
Look out for changes in caller IDs - this could include unfamiliar numbers, special characters, or calls from different locations.