14 October 2008

Be wary of telemarketing calls informing you have won a 'free' holiday.

MyState Financial advises you regularly visit the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) website SCAMwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) for more information on this and other types of common scams.

Remember

• It sounds too good to be true it probably is.

Protect yourself

• Use your common sense
• Do not send any money or pay any fees to claim a prize.
• Be careful of phone numbers beginning with 190. These are charged at a premium rate and can be very expensive.
• Read all the terms and conditions of any offer very carefully: claims of free or very cheap offers often have hidden costs.
• If a telemarketer claims to be calling on behalf of a business you have an account with, call the business yourself to confirm this is true before giving out any personal details

Report

If you have responded to this type of scam, report the matter to MyState Financial on 138 001 as soon as possible and the ACCC's Infocentre on 1300 302 502 or visit the report a scam page in SCAMwatch.

More Information

Find out more and read MyState Financial’s Top 10 Tips for Internet Security.