Bundaberg Region residents are urged to be vigilant if they receive an email about a parking infringement following a recent email scam.
Council’s Organisational Services portfolio spokesman, Cr Steve Cooper, said people should be wary of unusual emails.
“A resident contacted Council after receiving a parking infringement email,” Cr Cooper said.
“The email was not linked to Bundaberg Regional Council in any way, but we’re concerned that some people may think it’s from Council and click on the link and pay the fine.
“Council would never send an infringement notice via email, and we strongly advise people to delete this sort of email when they receive it, and certainly not click on the link.”
ACCC has valuable resources
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has some excellent resources on the Scamwatch website.
The ACCC advises people how to report a scam.
The website also lists these clues for spotting a fake document:
- Documents are easily faked. Some will look just like the real thing but others might have warning signs, such as:
- generic rather than personal greeting
- names of organisations that don't exist
- poorer quality presentation
- poorer quality grammar and spelling
- overly official or forced language.
Clues for spotting an email scam
- Scammers can easily fake an official-looking email, using the same logo and design as the real company.
- Often your guard is down when you receive an email from a company you've dealt with before. If you're not expecting an email, always be alert to a fake before clicking on any links or opening any attachments
Cr Cooper said it’s important to report the scam to the organisation it looks as though it comes from, as well as family and friends.
“We’re very pleased that a resident reported the scam to us, so we could make people aware,” Cr Cooper said.
