© Mel’s Customised Candles Melbourne, Australia, 2023
Disclaimer: As usual, what is written below is my own personal opinion, and may vary from yours. It doesn’t mean to say that either is correct or incorrect, that’s what makes us all Humans.
I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today. I would also like to pay my respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.
I first learnt about scams when training to work for an Australian Government agency.
By writing this, I hope to educate everyone on how to spot some of the signs of scams.
Many will not use correct grammar or punctuation either.
The start is usually generic, not personalised.
My biggest sign is when I check who the sender is, especially for emails, as they are usually just random letters and/or numbers.
Another scam is when you receive a call or text, the call is a recording so unable to say anything, I usually just hang up now, then block the number.
I recently received a text message, saying I had an overdue account to pay, Funny thing, I don’t have an account with the company, but screenshot message, then contacted the company, who responded several hours later, but I also reported it to
I highly recommend, if you live in Australia, subscribing to their alerts service.
Many scammers will spoof numbers too, however, I have found a great way to reduce my scam calls, I leave my phone on divert most of the time, those who wish to talk, will leave a message.
My favourite scam happened a few months back, my phone rang, but the call was from:
Me, yes, someone had spoofed my number then called me.
Some of the other scams to look out for are:
Guilt trips, especially from “Lonely Girls.”
A delivery where the driver was unable to find the address,
Customs duty to be paid before a parcel will be delivered,
Demanding payment of a debt, using gift cards, This is common for scammers saying they are from Government Departments/Agencies.
Get Rich Quick Schemes, which only get the scammers rich quick, because people fall into the trap.
I recently heard of 1, where the scammers say they are from the Police, however, am yet to find any written information.
My best advice:
Check the information of the request/demand, mainly the ABN details, address of the company and contact details too.
I would also check out the genuine website of the company too.
Scammers will often mask their scam by using logos and “Links” which appear genuine, but are not.
I hope this has educated you about how not to get scammed.
melscustomisedcandles.com 