Northern Territory Police are warning local businesses about email scams targeting retailers and freight companies.
Senior Constable Jason Corbett from the High Tech Crime Squad said the highly sophisticated scam is believed to be operated by a multi-faceted international syndicate.
“Universities have been a popular target for these scams, and it has hit close to home with the Charles Darwin University branding being utilised in some of these fraudulent emails.
“Retailers are sent an email, mainly from individuals posing as university representatives, requesting to purchase large quantities of electrical goods.
“The high quality of these emails, which includes the exchanging of purchase orders, leads the company to ship the goods before payment is received.
“Reports from across Australia have seen loses between $50,000 to over $100,000.
“Three cases have now been referred to Northern Territory Police, however, there is yet to be any losses reported.”
You can avoid becoming a target of such scams by following these tips:
- Make direct contact with the Government Department / University concerned through a known contact number and not the number supplied on the email received.
- Look out for clues in the email such as poorly structured sentences or spelling mistakes.
If you believe that you have been a victim of this scam, you can report it online via the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network: https://www.acorn.gov.au/
