[dbaust] Fw: SCAMwatch email alert: SCAMwatch email alert

From: Erika Webb <erikaweb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Erika Webb <erikaweb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2012 19:56:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: SCAMwatch email alerts <web.team@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: SCAMwatch email alert:  SCAMwatch email alert 
Received: Monday, 9 July, 2012, 3:39 PM
Protect your retirement savings from investment scammers
View Radar OnlineAdded: July 2012

SCAMwatch and the Australian Crime Commission Board are urging Australians to 
protect themselves from the growing threat of investment scams. Investment 
scammers are commonly based offshore and target Australia because of high 
levels of superannuation and retirement savings.

How the scam works

You receive a call, email or letter out of the blue from someone offering an 
investment opportunity overseas. 
The scammer applies persuasive techniques to identify your financial status and 
encourages you to transfer money into sham investments.
The scammer may encourage you to check that the investment offer is legitimate. 
If you research the offer, the scammer may have gone to elaborate lengths to 
trick you including:
- manipulating search data
- creating professional looking, but fake websites and publications
- issuing online press releases that make false claims of outstanding corporate 
performance. 
In some instances, the scammer may even provide you with a log-in to view fake 
investment balances and growing returns. In reality, your money is gone. 
If you engage with the scammer, they may apply even greater pressure such as 
calling you multiple times a day, using tailored scripts and delivering 
professional looking documents via courier – all to try and get you to part 
with more of your money. 
The scammer will likely ask you to transfer the money electronically to an 
overseas-based account. It is rare to recover money sent to scammers. 

SCAMwatch urges you to be on alert: These scams are incredibly sophisticated 
and very difficult for even experienced investors to identify.

Protect yourself

Visit www.moneysmart.gov.au or call 1300 300 630 for more information. 
Moneysmart also has a list of companies you should not deal with - if you 
receive a call from a company on this list, do not deal with them.  
Watch out for scammers if you are approaching retirement and looking for 
investment opportunities. 
Alert your family and friends to this fraud, especially anyone who may have 
savings to invest. 
Report suspected fraud to the Australian Securities Investment Commission, via 
www.moneysmart.gov.au or 1300 300 630, or your local police. 
Hang up on unsolicited telephone calls offering overseas investments. 
Check any company you are discussing investments with has a valid Australian 
Financial Services Licence at www.moneysmart.gov.au.
Always seek independent financial advice before making an investment.

Report
You can report suspected fraud to the Australian Securities and Investments 
Commission, via www.moneysmart.gov.au or 1300 300 630, or your local police. 
Any information that can be provided such as company name, location and contact 
details will assist with subsequent investigations and enquiries.

More information
To tackle this growing threat, the Australian Crime Commission Board 
established a multi-agency task force that aims to disrupt fraudulent serious 
and organised investment scams and harden the Australian environment against 
this type of organised criminality. Find out more at the Australian Crime 
Commission website.

Stay one step ahead of scammers – follow @SCAMwatch_gov on Twitter or visit 
http://twitter.com/SCAMwatch_gov.

These alerts are issued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission 
and can be viewed on its SCAMwatch website www.scamwatch.gov.au. 

If you have any doubts about an email's source, verify the sender by 
independent means - use their official contact details to check the email is 
legitimate before clicking on links or opening attachemnts. 

If you no longer want to receive SCAMwatch email alerts, please unsubscribe on 
the SCAMwatch website.
[dbaust] Fw: SCAMwatch email alert: SCAMwatch email alert

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