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A resident of the Gold Coast has warned motorists after being scammed out of $4,000 by text message fraudsters impersonating toll road operator Linkt.
Poleta Lillico received a text message informing her that her toll payment had failed and that she needed to pay the amount she owed. She was sure it was real, so she paid $20 into her toll road account using the Linkt application.
A few days later, a $4,000 charge was put on her credit card.
“As you can probably imagine, I was completely shocked,” said Ms Lillico. “I was so surprised, and I couldn’t think clearly.”
“I have no idea how the text message con artists obtained my information,” Ms Lillico told the news outlet.
“I’m not sure if I may have clicked on the link, but I didn’t pay anything using the link, and I went to my Linkt app on my phone,” she said.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, scammers use texts to collect personal information and prey on people’s fears of having their identities stolen. Since January, the ACCC has received around 750 reports of this scam. The victims had already lost about $29,000 after receiving a text message with a link that directed them to pay a bill or provide details.
As per an ACCC report, Australians lost a record $2 billion to scams last year.
Out of all the scam types, investment scams resulted in the most lost money ($701 million). The second highest were payment redirection scams with $227 million and romance scams with $142 million.
“Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated methods to target Australians, and we are seeing a significant increase in reports of scams,” said ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard.
“We urge everyone to be alert to the signs of a scam, such as unexpected requests for payment or offers that seem too good to be true,” she said.
If you receive a text message that looks like it’s from a toll road operator, be very careful. Do not click on any links, and do not provide any personal information. If unsure, call the number on the back of your Linkt tag to speak to someone directly. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true—it probably is. Be alert and protect yourself from scammers.
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