Police officers are warning residents about an email scam that has conned three victims in the Narrabri and Wee Waa region to the total amount of $100,000.
“Do not take a secondary invoice you receive as gospel, contact the issuer on the phone or in person to confirm payment details,” said Narrabri police detective Jason Dickinson.
“Don’t contact them via email.”
Detective Dickinson warned scammers are ‘hacking’ into people’s email accounts to identify legitimate invoices and then creating a second fake invoice with a slight variation, including different bank account details so it’s difficult for the victim to tell that they’re paying the wrong person.
“There have been three incidents recently where people have been invoiced for work being done or purchasing something, and we’re not talking small amounts.
“For example one victim had actually purchased a tractor and was due to make part of a payment on that tractor for about $36,000.
“They received an invoice but then also received a second invoice with a slight variation to the sender’s email address and different bank details.
“They’re very minor changes, it might be just one letter different in the sender’s email address so it’s difficult to tell the difference.
“So police are warning people not to act on a second invoice unless you speak to the person.
“Don’t correspond by email – phone them and ask them or speak to them in person.”
Police are continuing investigations.
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