In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that malicious individuals are impersonating officials from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), with fraudulent activities even spreading to social media and messaging platforms. The public needs to be vigilant as these sophisticated scams continue to evolve and target unsuspecting victims.
As per reports, the scammers are using a new, cruel trick. They are offering assistance to consumers who were previously scammed, promising to recover lost funds – but of course, for a price. These unscrupulous individuals are further victimizing people who have already suffered from scams by taking advantage of their desperation to retrieve their lost money.
One key piece of advice for the public is that ASIC will never ask for money or crypto-assets as compensation or fee to retrieve funds invested or lost by consumers. The ability to recognize such misleading claims is crucial in warding off these scams.
It is a sad truth that if an individual has been scammed and someone subsequently contacts them offering to help recover the money, it is usually another scam. Too many people have been duped by these fraudsters because they were too hopeful or desperate to retrieve what they had previously lost.
Thus, the best course of action is to disregard such contacts and immediately report them to Scamwatch, a site dedicated to helping Australians avoid falling prey to scams. It’s essential that everyone remains vigilant and on high alert to these ploys, as they can come from any direction, including social media.
ASIC encourages the public to visit their website to get tips on how to evade these and other forms of financial services scams.
With proper education and awareness, victims will be less likely to fall for these scams and more likely to report them, aiding in their eventual eradication.
