SA Police are issuing a warning to the community about scammers sending text messages claiming to be from South Australia Police.
On Tuesday 25th June, three members of the community contacted Police advising that they had received a text message from an unknown number. The message directed them to click on a link in order to pay for outstanding fines. The link included the police assistance number 131444.
Fortunately, the recipients didn’t click on the link and they rang the police assistance line for advice.
No government organisation will ever request personal details or payment of fines/debt via text message and by clicking on a link.
Here are some tips to help keep you safe-
*Do not to open or respond to suspicious text messages, random pop-up windows or clicking on links and attachments within messages – delete them immediately.
*Don’t use the contact details provided in the message that sent to you- verify the identity of the contact through online research using reputable websites
*Phishing emails and text messages often contain spelling and grammatical errors which would not be expected from the organisation from which the email was supposedly sent – check the message for mistakes.
If you are a victim of a scam you can make a report at www.cyber.gov.au
For more information on scams and how to prevent them visit SAPOL – SAPOL – Scams, cybercrime and cyberbullying (police.sa.gov.au)
