Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Detective Acting Senior Sergeant David Buganey says about five local businesses have fallen victim to scams over the last month

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Detective Acting Senior Sergeant David Buganey says about five local businesses have fallen victim to scams over the last month · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: But we know that the Northern Territory Police they are
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: currently investigating numerous business email compromise scams which have occurred
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: over the past month now. These scams appear to be
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: targeting the building in real estate industries. And joining me
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  Speaker 1: in the studio to tell us more about the situation
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  Speaker 1: is Detective Senior Sergeant David Bugainy. Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie. How are you?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, really well, thank you so much for your time
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: this morning. Firstly, can you tell us a little bit
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  Speaker 1: about these scams. That's some Territory businesses sound as though
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  Speaker 1: they've been subjected to.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, So what we have seen is we've seen a
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  Speaker 2: rise in business email compromises over the last few months
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  Speaker 2: and appears they are targeting the real estate and the
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  Speaker 2: construction sectors. Obviously the last two substantial amount of money.
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  Speaker 2: So we're looking at five hundred over five hundred and
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  Speaker 2: fifty and five hundred and thirty thousand. We've also seen
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  Speaker 2: the smaller amounts around the twenty thousand dollars fairly consistent
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  Speaker 2: over the last few months. Right in regards to business
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  Speaker 2: email compromises.
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  Speaker 1: How many businesses do you reckon have been targeted in
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  Speaker 1: the territory over the last month.
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  Speaker 2: Over the last month though, just probably at least five. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I can say, and I know.
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  Speaker 1: That, you know, some of those figures are astronomical, like
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  Speaker 1: five hundred and thirty grand and five hundred and fifty grand.
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  Speaker 1: But if you're a business owner and an operator, at
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  Speaker 1: twenty thousand dollars, is a huge loss to you, isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's correct. Still at twenty thousand dollars, it is
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  Speaker 2: a substantial amount of money for business to lose, yep.
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  Speaker 2: And it's really about business being vigilant. If they're transferring
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  Speaker 2: substantial amount of money, it's really a matter of picking
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  Speaker 2: the phone up, contacting the recipient of the money and
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  Speaker 2: confirming the bank account details.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah. And you know, the big thing is that everybody
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  Speaker 1: always thinks, oh, that won't happen to me. There's no
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  Speaker 1: way that I'm going to get scammed. But they're getting
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  Speaker 1: more sophisticated and smarter in the way that they do things,
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  Speaker 1: aren't they.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure. Obviously they're constantly changing their techniques and
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  Speaker 2: their methodology and trying just to keep on top of that,
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: trying to stay ahead of it.
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  Speaker 1: So what kind of things are they doing, Are they
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  Speaker 1: sort of intercepting emails or are they changing in voices.
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  Speaker 1: I know that there's probably various different ways that they're
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  Speaker 1: doing things, but what kind of stuff are they doing?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, there's a number of aspects and a number
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  Speaker 2: of ways they're doing these email compromises. But what I
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  Speaker 2: can suggest is really, if you receive an email with
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  Speaker 2: bank account details and it is for a substantial amount
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  Speaker 2: of money, is to contact the recipient of that money.
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  Speaker 1: And I know it, Yeah, I know, even for myself.
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  Speaker 1: You know, at different times you think, oh, there's no
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  Speaker 1: way I'd ever be caught out doing something, you know,
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  Speaker 1: like BIA scam. There's no way knowing that I'd be
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  Speaker 1: caught out and you know, and pay a substantial amount.
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  Speaker 1: But then you know, I've got a phone call from
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  Speaker 1: my mum one day saying, oh, so and so sent
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  Speaker 1: me an invoice for this, Do I need to make
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  Speaker 1: sure that I pay it? And you go, hang on
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  Speaker 1: a second, that's not something that you know that we owe. Well,
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  Speaker 1: that's not something that you need to be concerned about.
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  Speaker 1: So it does actually happen more often than people realize,
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  Speaker 1: I think, And it's not something to sort of feel
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  Speaker 1: silly about because it is something that these people make
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  Speaker 1: a business out of, don't they.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, for sure, And regardless of the value, if you
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  Speaker 2: become a victim of cybercrime in any way, then highly
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  Speaker 2: recommend you report it on cyber dot com dot au.
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  Speaker 2: You can also go and be smart, be cyber smart
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  Speaker 2: sorry dot com dot au and they will have information
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  Speaker 2: on there how to protect yourself as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yep. So the big piece of advice, by the sounds
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  Speaker 1: of it for Territorians, whether you're a business operator or
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  Speaker 1: an individual, if an invoice comes through or if there's
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: money that's due to be paid, that's a substantial amount.
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  Speaker 1: I mean even for some people, even some of our
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  Speaker 1: seniors that are listening, it could be a couple of
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  Speaker 1: hundred dollars, but to lose that is a big thing
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  Speaker 1: for them. Make sure, like really, just make sure that
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  Speaker 1: you're paying it into the correct account and you can
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  Speaker 1: check that through a simple phone call, can't you.
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  Speaker 2: Yes. And also if you're going to call them and
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  Speaker 2: confirm the bankcount details, recommend you call them from a
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  Speaker 2: number you know, not from a number on the email,
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  Speaker 2: because you may be calling the scammer.
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  Speaker 1: That is very very good advice and something that I
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  Speaker 1: think that everybody should take note of. Is there anything
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  Speaker 1: else we should be aware of this morning? Like I said,
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  Speaker 1: I know that it's unfortunate, but we do see quite
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: a few Territorians getting scammed out of their herd earned cash. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: What we have also seen is an increase in intimate
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  Speaker 2: images and extortion matters, where they befriend people on various
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  Speaker 2: different social media platforms and request some intimate images and
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  Speaker 2: then once they get their images, obviously they're requesting, they're
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  Speaker 2: making demands for money.
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  Speaker 1: Goodness, may I mean that's a worry as well, isn't it?
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  Speaker 1: And sometimes praying upon people who may be a little
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  Speaker 1: bit lonely.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, and generally it's the younger generation, as young as
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  Speaker 2: sixteen to twenty five and that sort of area. That's
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  Speaker 2: what they're targeting.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Wow, have we seen much of that in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: We have seen quite a few of late in the
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  Speaker 2: last few months.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, all right, so that is other something else
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  Speaker 1: to be aware of. What's your advice on that one?
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  Speaker 2: Obviously, if you don't actually know the person and you've
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  Speaker 2: never met them, I wouldn't be sending any images to them.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that is very sensible advice. I think and yeah,
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  Speaker 1: just another reason for us all to make sure that
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  Speaker 1: we're being extra cautious online. It's hard, isn't it, because
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  Speaker 1: our way of life, like we do everything online these days,
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  Speaker 1: but you've got to be so extra careful with what
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  Speaker 1: you're doing, particularly, you know, when it comes to sending
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  Speaker 1: images or sending money.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, that's correct.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, Detective Acting Senior Sergeant David Bugainy, thank you
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: very much for your time this morning. Much appreciated. Thank you,