Happy New Year! Well it was until I opened up an email, supposedly from “HOT DOC” telling me that I have a refund pending and to follow the instructions.
How many of us have dodged scams from time to time, seemingly innocent in nature, yet loaded with personal grief if one succumbed to its endeavours.
This seems to be a new one targeting those of us, who are elderly and vulnerable, own a computer and use the services of “Hot Doc” from time to time.
Those who are elderly are most at risk of falling into the trap set by these cons, mainly people from other countries who trick you into parting with your information for their gain.
Yet here we are again, another scam to contend with.
This one is important as it mainly targets those who would dearly love to get a refund from the Government. But think again!
The ACMA is warning Australians about a new scam where criminals impersonate “Hot Doc”, a medical appointment booking service and send fake messages about Medicare refunds or overcharges.
These text messages and emails include a link to a fake website that appears legitimate but is designed to steal your banking details.
I had no intention of writing about this new scam, but it made my blood boil that these scammers were blatantly targeting those who attend doctors, those who are elderly,
those who are not familiar with what could happen if they followed the instructions.
Watch out for false addresses, links to further info, and ask yourself, “Were you expecting this message? Are you owed a refund?”
These scammers can be very insistent. I’ve been dodging one, supposedly from Telstra for months now telling me if didn’t do this or that, that my emails would cease on a certain day and they had become very insistent regarding the outcome
It’s certainly a changing world where innocence is gone, replaced by scepticism.
