A NEW email scam is making its way around Tasmania, as police warn about scammers upping the ante.
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The latest scheme involves criminals using emails and regular contact with their victims to try and lure people and companies out of thousands.
For businesses, the scammers send an email to a financial officer at a company, pretending to be a boss at the business.
The email asks for the financial officer to prepare and make a payment for some business aspect and provides a BSB and account number.
Police believe scammers are using company websites to identify financial advisers to target.
For individuals, the scam appears as an email from a friend and states they have some issue and asks for money to be lent and provides a BSB and account number for the deposit.
In both situations, the scammer will engage with the email process.
Tasmania Police Serious Organised Crime Division Detective Sergeant Gen Hickman said businesses need to safeguard themselves against the scheme.
“Any request for money by friend should be checked with a phone call to them before sending it,” she said.
The bold technique is the latest in a long list of scams doing the rounds in the state – some of which are becoming increasingly aggressive.
Last month, Tasmania Police’s Serious Organised Crime Division said criminals are posing as employees from the Australian Taxation Office employees, Australia Post, the Australian Department of Fair Trading, and Telstra.
Tasmania Police is cracking down, after elderly residents in particular were duped out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent months.
Police have urged residents not to be intimidated by scammers and say they pose no danger to anyone.
Anyone with concerns should contact police’s Fraud and e-Crime Unit at fraud@police.tas.gov.au, or by phoning 6173 2781.
