Transcript
A – Hey. You know how I lost a phone recently? Yeah. I’ve been looking in Facebook’s Marketplace. I found a really good one that I want to buy. I’ve been in contact with the seller then we confirmed last night, and I’ve paid online. Today the contact disappeared. I feel like I have been scammed because my money was stolen.
B – Yeah. Unfortunately, online scams are increasing and becoming more widespread. It’s getting worse, not only in Australia but globally. I understand how you feel.
A – So what do I do?
B – If you got scammed, you can report it to the website called scamwatch.gov.au. It’s a great website because if you report scams, it helps the government and police to catch more scammers otherwise they will continue happening. So please report and help to prevent the issue! What kind of scam reporting? There are plenty of options you can select on the website. Phone stolen? There is an option for that.
A – Great, I will report. But I still need my phone!
B – Yeah right, I understand you still need your phone. You can try contacting your bank and letting them know that it was a scam and sometimes it is possible for them to refund you. So onwards, if you want to buy a second-hand phone, it is the most ideal to buy face-to-face. That way you know for sure. You can buy through cash, without any mess. Online is not secure.
A – Good. I will contact my bank and let them know that I was scammed. Hope they will refund me!
B – Don’t stress about it too much! It’s very understandable because scams nowadays are so advanced that it’s hard to tell. Sometimes it doesn’t even look like one. It’s everywhere. Hey, I wonder if that seller sent you a link?
A – Yeah they sent me a link and I clicked on it! What about it?
B – That’s bad! Most often these links are for the scammers to get access to your account. Best if you change your password now. Also ideal if you set up 2FA. Do you have it?
A – 2FA? What’s that?
B – Ah yes 2FA means Two Factor Authentication. So once you log in, you will be sent a code by Facebook which you need to put in before fully accessing your account. So if a scammer tries to log in, it won’t work because they don’t have your phone or number! 2FA is great because it’s very secure. It’s worth setting up.
A – Pah! Thank you for explaining, I understand now.