Linkt is a well-known brand that provides toll road services in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, operated by Transurban. Currently, a scam text is circulating, claiming to be from Linkt, with messages related to overdue bills, payment issues, unpaid trips, vehicle information being out of date, and urging recipients to deal with the matter promptly.

Another fake email that is doing the rounds is a request for payment. Sometimes these emails are hard to spot as they are from a known supplier but come through unexpectedly. Other times they are easy to spot as they are from an unknown supplier. If in any doubt, do not open the attached document.

There is a number of fake emails claiming to be from Facebook asking to verify your identity by sending them your identity documents. In these emails they may ask you to upload your driver's license or passport; else Facebook will disable your account. Never click on the links as these emails have been designed to deceive.

Beware of spam SEO/Google rankings emails that don’t come from legitimate businesses. In these unsolicited emails, the person/company offers to improve your Google business ranking. Yet they don’t list a legitimate business name. But you have to ask yourself if they are so good at improving Google rankings, why aren’t they even listed on Google?

Beware about phone scams, both landline and mobile phone, where people call you claiming that they are from ATO (Australian Taxation Office) asking for your personal details. Some of the ways to spot a potential ATO scam call are: they refuse to allow you to speak with a trusted advisor or your regular tax agent.

How the scam operates: One of the latest scams that is occurring is a missed phone call scam. Australians are receiving missed calls from international or 19/1900 numbers. The incoming call just rings once and then suddenly stops. Unknown to the missed call recipient, the call comes from a premium phone number.

It is important to be able to spot the difference between a fake email and a genuine email. Fake emails may be trying to direct you to an infectious website, trick you into providing personal information, or contain attachments that can infect your device. One sign of a fake email is the way an email is formatted.

Security researchers have discovered fake Android applications on various internet websites. One such application is a fake Uber. It appears genuine by connecting to the real Uber application. The customer usernames and passwords that are typed into the fake application are at risk of being stolen.

Beware of fake SMS messages pretending to be from Australia Post. More information can be found on the Australia Post website: Australia Post Scam Alerts

Some scammers ring up out of the blue claiming they are from Microsoft, Telstra, NBN, etc. They state that they want to remotely connect to your computer to ‘remove’ a virus. If you encounter this, just hang up. If you are concerned, phone the company on their publicly listed customer service number.