Adelaide based Mohinder Singh is fuming with anger after being duped by scammers.
It all started two weeks back with a phone call from a private number.
“They caught me at the right time. I was looking for a phone when the call from the no caller ID came. I generally do not answer but that day, I did,” Mr Singh tells SBS Hindi.
The caller who identified herself as Mary offered Mr Singh an iPhone X on a $45 per month plan.
“I asked her to send me the details on an email and she did from a company email ID, which I felt was genuine.
Mohinder Singh: "I want people to know that it is very important to be careful while dealing with people online or on cold call sales.” Source: Supplied
“Next day, she called again asked me for my identity proof – my driving licence, ABN and home address details to activate the phone plan and to send it to me.”
A week later, Mr Singh got another call. This time, it was from a person who identified himself as Rajbeer Singh from the same company that Mary claimed to be from.
“He asked me to go to my neighbourhood post office to collect my package. He gave me the consignment number. I went and collected my package only to find that it was a wrong phone with the wrong network. I was sent an iPhone 8 on the Optus network.
“I was on phone with Rajbeer when I opened the package. I was so upset to see this and conveyed this to Rajbeer who promised to process a new order with the correct phone on the network I had chosen.
“He asked me to send the wrong package to an address he gave me on the email. I went to the post office and express posted the phone.
It was the next day, Mr Singh realised he had been scammed.
The email exchange between Mr Singh and the man who claimed to be from the said mobile company. Source: Supplied
“I did not receive the phone that was promised and when I emailed them, I received a response within two minutes that this email is spoofed, and I should contact the police."
“The way the whole thing unfolded I could realise that It was a scam. I was shocked to know that it all happened to me,” Mr Singh told SBS Hindi.
Source: Supplied
Since then, Mr Singh has informed police, has spoken to the Optus network and alerted Scamwatch and ACORN (Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network) authorities about the scam.
“I did not give out any bank details but the phone and the connection are in my name. I have raised the matter with Optus authorities and they are working on it.”
“They straightaway told me this was the case of an identity theft and it is likely to affect my credit history if it is not sorted.”
“I have also made a submission to Scamwatch and ACORN. But I want people to know that it is very important to be careful while dealing with people online or on cold call sales.”
Optus says the phone scam is an industry-wide issue.
An Optus spokesperson said, “If customers receive suspicious phone calls or believe they may have been scammed we recommend they contact Scamwatch to report the incident at .
“Customers can also contact Optus if they have any concerns regarding the privacy of their mobile phone or would like any more information by calling 133 927.”
'Common sense'
The Australian Competition Consumer Commission's (ACCC) annual Targeting Scams report says Australians have lost $300 million dollars so far in scams.
Experts believe a way to spot cyber fraud is to use your common sense.
“Like in a real life, if something is too good to be true, that's most probably is an attempt to defraud you," says Stas Filshtinskiy, Cyber Security Hub Director of Threat Intelligence.
"If someone would come to you and tell you that I know a place where for $100 they will give you the latest iPhone, you would not probably walk into that dark alley."
How to get help?
The ACCC is a good place to start. It provides up-to-date information on the most common types of scams in circulation in Australia and also collects and publishes data on them. Here you can find a and useful sites compiled by the ACCC to help you understand, recognise and avoid scams.
If you believe some of your privacy has been breached, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information for assistance on 1300 363 992.
And don’t forget to check the list of current online threats on the government’s.
