Aussies getting ripped off by fake porn scam

Sydney, June 9 (ANI): A fake porn scam has come out to be one of the most popular ways of ripping Australians, with international fraudsters netting about 70 million dollars in the past year alone.

Online payment company PayPal and Crime Stoppers Australia say the porn scam baits innocent people who have sent electronic goods overseas by claiming that their wares contained illegal pornographic material.

According to figures from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, it was just one of a large number of online scams that netted 20,000 Australian victims last year.

The scam begins after a person sells their electronic goods overseas. Once payment has been received, an official looking letter from a fake foreign customs official arrives, stating there was a breach of import laws because of pornographic materials found on the camera, phone or computer.

The victim is told to pay a hefty fine or suffer dire consequences.

Crime Stoppers, which presented it as part of national cyber security awareness week, said other popular scams of last year included the cross-border customs con and the shipping agent scam, which both target small business owners, and the big win hoax, which steals its victims’ banking details.

In the big win hoax, a large prize is offered for clicking on an email link. Once clicked, it asks for some personal details. A few days later, the winner receives an email that purports to be from their bank.

Because it already contains many personal details victims are often tricked into updating their security settings - which include bank access details, after which their account is plundered.

The cross-border customs con and shipping agent scam both target small business owners and are initiated with a large (fake) order or sale item from overseas.

Prior to payment, the business receives an apparent customs form demanding fees or a form asking for a shipping agent fee. Once this is paid the order or sale vanishes into thin air.

Peter Price, director of Crime Stoppers, said that many Internet crimes continue to go unreported because victims are unwilling to admit to police they were scammed.

He said statewide police hotlines had been established to open up lines of communication.

“Some people don’t want to front up to the police station, especially when they are victims of fraud,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him as saying.

“A lot of people feel too embarrassed to face the guy on other side of counter, but there is no intimidation if you just pick up the phone.

“Basically if you are a victim of a crime it doesn’t matter how big or small. You should report it to police.

“Every bit of info is a good piece of information and they are all pieces of a puzzle that might to help track down a criminal,” he added. (ANI)