Carlton Supporters Club

I recently got a text message from the ATO warning that unless I did X, Y and Z, my ABN would be cancelled.  I checked the ATO website and found that text messaging was one of the ways the ATO communicates with taxpayers.  I was still dubious and not too fussed about my ABN so I did nothing.  My ABN has now been cancelled.

A week or so later I got a text from CentreLink advising that I was about to get a call from a number with no caller ID and I should answer the call.  I was on another call and didn't answer.  Two weeks later I got a letter from CentreLink saying that I didn't answer their phone call and had to fill in a questionnaire.

Ms DJC got a text message last week that said, "Hi Mum, I dropped my phone in the toilet and I'm trying to dry it out.  Call me on my old number #$#%^&**+"  Both of our children still have their original mobile numbers.  A little later Ms DJC got another text saying, "I've got some bills to pay ..."  Thousands of Australians have been caught out by that scam,

The scammers are often incompetent and easy to detect.  Others are more sophisticated and can suck in the most cautious and IT savvy folk.  It's easy to sit back and say that Jacob should have known that it was a scam, but that's not how it works when you're under pressure and think that you're going to lose your money.  Banks, internet providers and the phone companies need to do a lot more to make life difficult for the scumbags that stole Jacob's money.

Sorry DJC.  that's not really good enough.

Yes these institutions need to protect people, but we all have a personal responsibility to fa t check we aren't being hoodwinked, and that is easily done simply by reaching out and talking to people.

The bank calls?  No worries take down the details of who called you and then state I will not divulge anything to you and then contact the bank on their publicly listed contact number not what is provided to you by the scammer.

The ato messages?  You call the ATO.  verify they want to talk to you.

Same goes for anything.  Unsolicited contact must be verified.

I feel for Jacob and anyone scammed but this whole its easily explained situation because I dont have time or under pressure is precisely the feeling the scammers aim to generate and then use to their advantage. 

People having moments of weakness need to recognise those moments and play cautious not simply go along with it.  Every situation is able to be fact checked.  Externalising the blame is the easy way out.  Why wasn't I protected?

Because you didn't protect yourself is the answer.

Sony got hacked.  They lost everyone's details.  They came clean told us all to change our passwords.  I failed to do so and eventually my playstation account was hacked.  It was linked to PayPal and they were able to purchase some games impersonating me.  My fault, I didn't change my password but Sony's fault for getting hacked to begin with.  Sony wore the responsibility for getting hacked.  Luckily they were good about it and refunded my money but if they weren't that was still my fault for not taking ownership of my credentials and changing my password. 

If you leave your house without locking up and someone helps themselves to your property, that's not just people's fault for being thieves or cops fault for not protecting you, that's your fault for not locking up too.

🤣🤣
When was the last time you called and spoke to someone at the ATO ?
It’s almost impossible to speak to a person nowadays, let alone call and ask to speak to “Tom, Dick or Harry”
You’re living in a dream world.

Iinet has departed hosting email for private domains.
They gave me 6-8 weeks notice of an end date for email and I had to migrate elsewhere, after 2.5 hrs on hold I just gave up on asking for tech support…
Eventually got it elsewhere and working.

Sorry DJC.  that's not really good enough.

Yes these institutions need to protect people, but we all have a personal responsibility to fa t check we aren't being hoodwinked, and that is easily done simply by reaching out and talking to people.

The bank calls?  No worries take down the details of who called you and then state I will not divulge anything to you and then contact the bank on their publicly listed contact number not what is provided to you by the scammer.

The ato messages?  You call the ATO.  verify they want to talk to you.

Same goes for anything.  Unsolicited contact must be verified.

I feel for Jacob and anyone scammed but this whole its easily explained situation because I dont have time or under pressure is precisely the feeling the scammers aim to generate and then use to their advantage. 

People having moments of weakness need to recognise those moments and play cautious not simply go along with it.  Every situation is able to be fact checked.  Externalising the blame is the easy way out.  Why wasn't I protected?

Because you didn't protect yourself is the answer.

Sony got hacked.  They lost everyone's details.  They came clean told us all to change our passwords.  I failed to do so and eventually my playstation account was hacked.  It was linked to PayPal and they were able to purchase some games impersonating me.  My fault, I didn't change my password but Sony's fault for getting hacked to begin with.  Sony wore the responsibility for getting hacked.  Luckily they were good about it and refunded my money but if they weren't that was still my fault for not taking ownership of my credentials and changing my password. 

If you leave your house without locking up and someone helps themselves to your property, that's not just people's fault for being thieves or cops fault for not protecting you, that's your fault for not locking up too.

Does the bank have some responsibility here? I realise Weiters himself transferred the money but I was thinking yesterday that he stated he transferred the max daily limit out of multiple accounts for a week. You'd think the banks monitors this stuff and could have contacted him to say "Hi Jacob, we noticed you're transferring the max limit out of multiple accounts everyday, is it intentional and is everything ok?" I'm sure that would have rung some alarm bells earlier.

Does the bank have some responsibility here? I realise Weiters himself transferred the money but I was thinking yesterday that he stated he transferred the max daily limit out of multiple accounts for a week. You'd think the banks monitors this stuff and could have contacted him to say "Hi Jacob, we noticed you're transferring the max limit out of multiple accounts everyday, is it intentional and is everything ok?" I'm sure that would have rung some alarm bells earlier.

Banks would transfer the money to a holding account with one transaction internally not expect him to withdrawal it every week.  That would be a give away it was dodgy.Jacob is a sensible young bloke but I'm still surprised he fell for a scam like this without checking at his local branch face to face and having that first transaction validated.Young people seem more busy and trusting with paying money, I see it with my own kids and have to remind them to be careful.

🤣🤣
When was the last time you called and spoke to someone at the ATO ?
It’s almost impossible to speak to a person nowadays, let alone call and ask to speak to “Tom, Dick or Harry”
You’re living in a dream world.

Not that long ago.

Here is the business I have a vested interest in https://maskarade.com.au/.

Perhaps I have better luck getting through than you do or perhaps it's not as hard as you are making it out to be.

Either way if someone is impersonating a vendor the appropriate thing to do is not to trust them and contact said institutions to verify they want or need something from you.