A RIVERINA woman has issued a warning after quick thinking saved her from falling victim to one of a number of cruel cold-call scams making the rounds through the region in recent weeks.
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Warning bells rang for Griffith’s Maureen Billing when she noticed a missed call from a strange number on her landline last week.
Returning the phone call, she spoke with a man who claimed to be from the Australian Taxation Office and who asked her for personal information.
Fortunately, Ms Billing knew something was up, but when she questioned the man about his motives he became aggressive.
“I said no I have paid my taxes and then he started to raise his voice,” she said.
“He was yelling and then he swore at me and hung up.”
Griffith Police Inspector John Wadsworth said such scams were an “exploding area of crime.”
“Everyone needs to understand this is the new wave of crime and it is faceless,” he said.
“I’ve seen it so many times, people coming in and they have given away most of their life savings.”
Callers can now mask the true numbers they phone from, he said, with many using strong English accents, persuasive techniques and knowledge of intimate details to convince victims to transfer money.
