Common types of investment scams
Identity theft scams
Investment scams involve criminals stealing your personal information, such as your name, date of birth, and tax file number.
With this information, they can open bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial accounts in your name, leaving you with the debt and damaged credit score.
To protect yourself, it’s important to be cautious with your personal information. Keep your sensitive information secure, such as your tax file number, and be wary of unsolicited emails, phone calls, or text messages asking for your personal information.
It’s also important to check your bank accounts for any suspicious activity. If you suspect that your identity has been stolen, contact your bank or financial institution immediately and report the fraud to the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
Unregulated investments
Investments that are not regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), may offer the potential for high returns, but they also come with a high degree of risk.
Because they are not regulated, there is no oversight to ensure that the investment is legitimate. This means there’s no guarantee that you’ll receive any return on your investment.
Examples include cryptocurrencies. While these investments may be legitimate, they are not subject to the same regulations as traditional investments such as shares or managed funds.
Investment cold calls
These are unsolicited phone calls from individuals or companies offering investment opportunities with high returns and little or no risk.
They can be difficult to identify as the callers may sound professional and knowledgeable. They may also use official-sounding company names or logos.
To protect yourself, avoid providing your personal or financial information over the phone, and do not make any investment decisions on the spot. Instead, research the investment thoroughly and seek advice from a financial professional.
Protecting yourself from scammers
The following is a list of key things you should be looking out for to ensure you don’t fall victim to a scammer.
- Never give information about your super to someone who has contacted you, even when you think it is a trusted organisation. Always verify their identity by calling the relevant organisation directly from contact details you have sourced. Never provide your account login details to a third party
- Don’t click on hyperlinks in text/social media messages or emails, even if they appear to come from a trusted source. MLC will never send you an email asking for your password, or with a direct link to a login page to access your account
- Always be suspicious of investment opportunities that promise a high return with little or no risk—if it sounds good to be true, then it probably is
- If you’re speaking with a financial adviser, check if they’re registered via the ASIC website. Any person or business offering advice about financial products must hold an Australian Financial Services licence from ASIC
- Never let anyone pressure you into making decisions about your money or investments and never commit to any investment at a seminar. Always get independent legal or financial advice first.
What to do if you’re concerned
We’re committed to protecting your super and investment savings and have strong measures in place to detect suspicious behaviour.
If you believe you may have fallen victim to a scam, please contact us immediately.
Where to find out more?
Scamwatch - www.scamwatch.gov.au
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission - Targeting scams: Report of the ACCC on scams activity 2013 - Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) - http://www.accc.gov.au/publications/targeting-scams-report-on-scam-activity
Need to talk to someone?
Beyond Blue - www.beyondblue.org.au
Lifeline - www.lifeline.org.au
