South-west police detectives are investigating a number of online scams with some victims losing more than $10,000.
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Two of the main scams involve criminals infiltrating emails and asking to change bank account details and the other involves the sale of puppies.
Portland police Detective Senior Constable Victoria Hudson said the puppies scam involved a professional website based in Iceland.
Police said puppies could be bought safely online, but it was important that people were vigilant and followed crucial rules:
- Do a reverse text and image search for the pet being advertised. If the search returns a match on multiple websites, you're likely dealing with a scam.
- Try to meet the pet in person before handing over money. If it's not possible, ask the seller to do a video call where you can see them handling and playing with the pet.
- Be cautious of sellers offering cheap prices for pets. If a price is too good to be true, it probably is.
- Pause before agreeing to pay extra, such as unexpected costs such as additional shipping fees or vet bills. Scammers will often create dramatic stories that tug at the heartstrings.
- Beware of sellers who won't communicate by phone, only through text or email.
- Seek advice about the seller from a reputable breeder's association, such as www.dogsvictoria.org.au. Otherwise conduct checks on websites being used that may be linked to suspicious scams.
Police have also warned about ongoing myGov scams asking people to login to a site that is not government backed.
In Melbourne crime investigation unit detectives arrested two people as part of two separate deception investigations.
As part of the first investigation, a 27-year-old man was arrested in relation to a series of online scams which occurred over the past two years, between September 2020 and August this year.
It is alleged the man responded to online posts where people wanted to purchase various items before he allegedly sent fake photos and accepted payment. The items were then allegedly never sent to the customer.
The series of incidents involved 61 victims and items valued at more than $38,000.
The Ivanhoe man was charged with 78 deception related charges including obtaining property by deception.
He has been remanded to appear in a Melbourne court on October 19.
A 19-year-old Werribee woman was arrested as part of the second investigation following a series of online pet scams which occurred between March and August this year.
It is alleged the woman was an employee of a scam operation selling dogs and macaw birds through a social media platform where victim's gave money to purchase the animals and did not receive them.
This series of incidents involved 35 victims and a value of more than $28,000.
The woman has been interviewed by police and released pending further enquiries.
For anyone seeking more information about scams go to https://www.scamwatch.gov.au
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