People's Choice has anti-fraud measures in place to protect our members, including:

  • 24x7 card transaction monitoring using industry standard fraud systems
  • Dedicated and expert fraud team
  • Industry-standard encryption on our Internet Banking system in addition to transaction monitoring
  • Secure Code Verification and Factor2 Personal Icons for added Internet Banking security
  • Smart Chips on all our Visa Credit and Debit Cards
  • Verified by Visa for convenience and protection when online shopping
  • Member Access Password (MAP) to enable safe and secure communication and transactions without the need for unnecessary paperwork
  • Secure mailbox within Internet Banking to be able to communicate with People's Choice remotely in a safe and secure manner
  • We’ll ask some questions if you request to increase your Internet Banking limit for a one-off transfer, or if you are withdrawing a large amount of cash, to ensure you’re not being scammed

Security Resource Centre

The security and fraud environment continues to evolve each and every day. People's Choice will always remain committed to being at the forefront of these changes to protect our members. There are a number of organisations also committed to increasing the understanding and knowledge of these issues to help consumers protect themselves and their families.

Some key resources include:

www.scamwatch.gov.au
 www.protectfinancialid.org.au
 www.staysmartonline.gov.au
 www.microsoft.com/security

If you think you have been the victim of a scam, contact People's Choice immediately.

Hoaxes and scams

Criminals will attempt to obtain personal and banking information by deception which can occur in a number of different ways including, online, via the telephone and even face to face.

It is important to stay up to date with the latest scams as well as how to identify them to ensure you don’t become a victim.

Some of the more common methods that criminals use include:

  • Dating and romance scams

    The increasing popularity of online dating has proved to provide an attractive target for criminals who prey on people looking for love or romance. Scammers target victims by creating fake profiles on legitimate internet dating services. Once you are in contact with a scammer, they will express strong emotions for you in a relatively short period of time and will suggest you move the relationship away from the website, to phone, email and/or instant messaging. Scammers often claim to be from Australia, but travelling or working overseas. Once they have gained your trust they will ask you (either subtly or directly) for money, gifts or your banking/credit card details. They will pretend to need these for a variety of reasons. The money you send to scammers is almost always impossible to recover. On occasions the scammers will also send money to victims for them to on forward, either locally or overseas. These funds are generally stolen money, which implicates the victim in money laundering activities.

  • Investment scams

    Australians lose more money to investment scams than any other type of scam. Always be suspicious of any investment opportunities that promise a high return with little or no risk – if it seems too good to be true, it probably is – and is highly likely to be a scam. Never take investment advice from anyone that you’ve only met online or provide them with your personal or financial details. 

    Losses to cryptocurrency scams are the highest of all types of investment scams, representing over 50% of losses. After what can often be a low initial investment, scammers pressure you to invest more over time before claiming the money is gone or ceasing communication and blocking access to the funds.  

    Before investing, check this list of companies you should not deal with. 

    For more information on investment scams visit Scamwatch. 

     

  • Remote access scams

    Remote access scams are one of the largest growing scam types in Australia.

    Most commonly, scammers pretend to be from well-known organisations such as Telstra, eBay, NBN Co, Amazon, banks or computer and IT support organisations and create a sense of urgency to make you give them access to your computer. Pop-ups can also be used, claiming to be from Microsoft or other tech companies, saying there is a problem with your computer and to click on the pop up ‘to receive assistance’. Once the scammer has gained access to your computer, they can access your bank accounts and personal information.

    For more information on remote access scams visit Scamwatch.

     

  • Job and employment scams

    Job and employment scams target people who are looking for work, a change in employment or seeking earn some additional money. These jobs are frequently advertised online and often promise significant income from limited hours or the flexibility of working from home. The primary purpose of this scam is to recruit people to be unwitting “Money mules”. A money mule is a person who receives stolen funds, usually from Internet Banking fraud and then on-forwards that money to someone else, either locally or overseas and receives a commission for doing so. Transferring money in this manner is considered money laundering and is a criminal offence.

  • Inheritance or lottery scams

    Inheritance or lottery scams usually start with an unsolicited email, letter or text message advising of a large sum of money which has either been inherited or won in a lottery. Generally the letter will ask you to respond quickly and confidentially to secure the funds. You may be asked to provide personal and account details for funds to be deposited into your account. You may also be asked to send money to pay fee’s or charges relating to having the winnings released.

  • Hoax emails

    Hoax emails claim to be sent from legitimate companies including financial institutions, requesting passwords or login details. Often hoax emails will also use links and/or attachments to direct you to false sites or download viruses or trojans to your computer or mobile device.

    Some common ways to detect hoax emails include:

    • The email asks you to confirm or verify your account information via clicking a link or opening an attachment
    • Check the URL of any links by hovering the mouse over the link.
    • The from email address is not from the legitimate company address
    • The message is unsolicited and has a sense of urgency requiring a response
    • Messages are often not personalised
    • Call and confirm the legitimacy of the message with the company before opening or clicking on links

  • Hoax phone calls

    Similar to hoax emails criminals will also try to obtain personal and banking information by way of phone calls. Callers may impersonate your financial institution, government department (ATO etc) and other large companies such as Telstra or Microsoft.

    Some common ways to detect and protect you from hoax phone calls include:

    • Be wary of any unsolicited or cold caller
    • Don’t give out or confirm your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source.
    • Don’t provide remote access to your computer after receiving an unsolicited phone call
    • Be wary of callers offering unclaimed refunds or incentives
    • If in doubt, hang up and contact the company or government department using official customer service number to verify if the call was genuine.

Fraud protection guide

We’ve put together a guide to help you protect your finances from the most common types of financial fraud.
View Guide

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