Phone scammers 'hoodwinking teens'
Posted
Parents are being warned to advise their children about the risk of being tricked into mobile scams.
The New South Wales Government says consumers should be wary of texts or calls asking for a response to a simple trivia question.
Fair Trading Minister Linda Burney says the only reward is higher call costs.
Ms Burney says she is concerned the scammers are targeting unsuspecting young people, who do not have the experience to know when they are being hoodwinked.
"We are really saying to parents and to young people in particular be very careful what information you accept through your mobile phone and what information you give through your mobile phone," she said.
She says the department has received 500 complaints in the past 11 months.
"We usually do receive quite a number of complaints," she said.
"But it is the nature of the complaints and the fact that scams - particularly focusing on young people connected to their mobile phones - that are becoming more prevalent and more sophisticated."
