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Shopping around for a good deal? Watch out for scam comparison websites As household budgets feel the crunch of ongoing cost-of-living pressures, many people are likely to shop around for better deals on utilities, subscriptions, and even their bank accounts.  Unfortunately, using fake websites targeted at obtaining consumers’ personal and financial information, many scammers are likely to take advantage of the situation.  “Comparison websites can be a great way to compare the costs and features of various products and services and may lead to some significant cost savings. But it’s important to stay vigilant about the website you are using to compare these prices,” explained Martin Latimer, Head of Financial Crime and Cyber Resilience at the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA). COBA’s financial crimes team have shared their practical tips to help consumers stay protected.   Spotting the warning signs  While scam websites can appear convincing at first glance, there are some tell-tale signs that something isn't quite adding up.  Check whether the website clearly identifies the business operating it, provides contact details, and explains how it makes money. Legitimate services provide information to be transparent on how products are ranked and whether they receive commissions from providers. Other warning signs of a scam site include typos and grammatical errors and bad website design.  You can also verify if the comparison site is using a ‘.com’ domain, rather than a registered Australian ‘.com.au’ domain. A little extra research on the website can go a long way, Latimer points out. “If you're unfamiliar or unsure about a comparison website, look for independent reviews. You can also check how long the website has been operating and whether there are clear ways to contact the business,” he said.  Moreover, consumers should be cautious about the information they are asked to provide to use the website. Scammers are likely to request sensitive information such as online banking credentials, passwords, one-time verification codes, or copies of identity documents to provide comparison results. “Scammers may also adopt phishing tactics to steal your information by supposedly leading you to ‘better deals’ with links on their websites. If a product or service piques your interest and you would like to learn more or sign up, it’s better to type the web address manually or using a trusted search engine. Many consumers may find the deal or offer they spotted on a scam website doesn’t actually exist,” Latimer added.    Suspect a scam? Here’s what you need to do To help yourself and others stay scam-safe, keep in mind the simple, three-step “Stop. Check. Protect” method – take a moment before giving your money or personal information to anyone, make sure the person or organisation you’re dealing with is real, and act quickly if something feels wrong. If you think you’ve been scammed, reach out to your financial institution or card provider immediately, as they can stop further transactions and explore options to recover funds. If you suspect a scam, report the suspicious sellers or websites to https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam and Cyber.gov.au.   Article by COBA

Scammed or nearly scammed? How to report – and why it matters Scams remain an ongoing challenge in Australia, with more than $334 million reported losses in 2025. Customer-owned banks are proactively combatting scams through a series of high-impact initiatives under the Scam-Safe Accord. By collaborating directly with government agencies and regulators, these institutions are building a unified front against financial crime. However, the effectiveness of all scam defences relies heavily on timely intelligence. This is why customers have an important role to play by stepping up to report a scam or any suspected fraudulent activity.   What happens when scams are reported? In reporting any suspicious activity (even if there was no money lost) customers can make a big difference by providing valuable intelligence that helps protect others. When someone reports a scam, the information becomes part of a national intelligence network, with the data shared across government agencies, industry partners like the Australian Federal Police, ASIC, Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), and financial institutions. “Information such as the type of scam, payment channel, contact method, and duration of communication is invaluable, as it is analysed to identify patterns and emerging trends used by scammers,” explains COBA Head of Financial Crimes and Cyber Resilience, Martin Latimer. A key initiative of the Scam-Safe Accord was banks joining the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange (AFCX) and the Fraud Reporting Exchange (FRX) to facilitate the timely sharing of intelligence regarding scams, and to help customers recover money faster. When customers report a scam to their financial institution, their bank or credit union can freeze the scam accounts and share the details of these accounts with other financial institutions, to ensure scammers aren’t able to move funds to other accounts. “This intelligence sharing capability means that detecting one scam can help protect the whole community from the same trap,” Latimer adds. Importantly, all the information gathered can also be used to take down scam websites, ads, and contact details - helping stop the next person from being scammed. Every time customers report a scam, it adds a new piece to the puzzle, establishing links between criminals, scam activity, and daily attempts to defraud millions of hard-working Australians.   Why some victims don’t report scams Scams can be devastating, affecting people’s financial outcomes, draining their savings, and destroying confidence. Sadly, they have become increasingly commonplace, with emails, social media, and phone calls among the most common contact methods used by these criminals. While scams can happen to anyone, and there is no shame in getting scammed, victims often grapple with difficult feelings of stigma or fear of judgement. This results in many people being reluctant to come forward and report any suspected activity. In some cases, victims may not be aware of where or how to make a report if they have been scammed. “With many people still unsure about why they should make a report, it’s more important than ever to highlight why every scam reported in the system makes a difference, and how people can make a report,” explains Latimer.   How to report a scam If you have been scammed or encounter a scam, it’s important to report it to ScamWatch.gov.au to help protect others. When in doubt, remember to STOP. CHECK. PROTECT. Stop - don’t share personal information or send money to anyone you don’t know Think – ask yourself, could the message or call be fake? Protect – act promptly if something feels off If you suspect you’ve been scammed, don’t send any more money and block all contact with the scammers. Get in touch with your bank or financial institution to report the scam, and to stop any new transactions. You can also request a temporary ban on your credit report to ensure no unauthorised loans or credit applications can be made. It’s also important to keep screen shots of conversations with scammers or websites to be able to provide all available information to your financial institution. If you’re concerned that the scammer has your personal information like your phone number, email, address, or any ID documents, it’s also best practice to enable multi-factor authentication and change passwords on your accounts. Opt for a strong password with 10 or more characters using alphanumeric and special characters and ensure it is a password you haven’t used before. Author: Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA) To contact Bank Orange Local: (02) 6362 4466 Overseas: +61 2 8299 9101 After-hours fraud reporting 1800 648 027

With nearly two thirds of Australian's using mobile banking as their top method for managing money, protecting your security online is more important than ever. In 2023, Australians lost a reported total of $455,436,239 to thieves through scams. Phishing scams were the most predominant, where a scammer contacts you pretending to be from a legitimate business such as a bank, telephone or internet service provider or Government organisation. You may be contacted by email, social media, phone call, or text message. The ACCC's Scamwatch is a trustworthy resource to keep up to date on the latest scams and current hoaxes trying to steal your personal information. Bank Orange encourages members to stay vigilant with the follow tips to protect your identity online: Keep in regular contact with your financial institution If you are receiving emails from your financial institution and you’re not sure if they are genuine, contact your financial institution and ask them. Chances are, if emails from your bank or credit union relate to loans, refinancing, interest rates, mortgage or home loan rates or the like, they could very well be genuine. If an email appears to be from your bank or credit union, but the email isn’t the same quality, uses misshapen or grainy images or is asking you to provide your member number and internet banking password from within the email, contact your bank or credit union immediately. They should be able to verify if the email was genuine or not. Never open an email from someone you don’t recognise or click any links in an email that you suspect is fraudulent Hackers and scammers can attempt to infiltrate your machine and steal your personal information by loading viruses on your device. Emails that contain such viruses usually ask you to click on links or provide your personal information as verification of your identity. Downloading attachments from these emails can also deliver the virus to your device which can freeze your files or provide them remote access to your device. If you receive an email from an unknown person or an institution that you don’t bank with, delete the email immediately and then delete it from your deleted items.  Never keep a copy of your PIN with your card (or anywhere) It is important to keep your PIN number safe and never to keep a copy of it in your wallet. Your PIN should never be shared with anyone and is a number that you can easily remember without it being directly related to your birthdate, birth year or anything else easily identifiable by others. Check your transactions regularly It’s important to regularly check your transactions or account statements regularly so you can pick up any potentially fraudulent transactions as soon as possible. Even transactions from trusted companies like APPLE ITUNES AUSTRALIA can look authentic, but might be fake.  Our team is here to help If you’d like any further tips or support with keeping your personal information safe with Bank Orange, follow us on social media, come along to our annual Stay Safe Forum or contact our Member Banking Specialists.