Scam Awareness 2024

PLEASE BE AWARE OF NILS SCAMS ON FACEBOOK

There are scammers creating Facebook pages impersonating No Interest Loans Schemes.  They are using the logos/images of national charities like St Vincent de Paul, Anglicare, Salvation Army and using NILS language about loans. 

See the picture of one of these scams. This is the latest example of a scam over last few months nationally on Facebook and Facebook Marketplace.

If people click on links they will be friendly and begin loan conversations via Facebook Messenger to get personal information, bank details, CRN etc and then they transfer funds, and divert peoples Centrelink Payment/s.

NILS TASMANIA WILL NEVER ASK YOU FOR PERSONAL INFORMATION OR HAVE LOAN CONVERSATIONS VIA FB MESSENGER. 

IF ANYONE ASKS YOU TO SEND INFORMATION VIA MESSENGER OR FACEBOOK – IT IS A SCAM!

The only way to access information on NILS is via this website nilstasmania.org.au or by calling us on 1300 301 650.

Don’t click on links in Facebook directing you to our website, you should always type ANY website address into the web browser – DON’T CLICK ON LINKS.

 A few Tasmanians have lost money by giving their information through such terrible scams.

If you believe a website or social media message could be a scam, do not provide any personal or financial information.

NILs staff will never:

Contact you via social media. If you have contacted NILS Tasmania through the chat function they will only provide general information about how to apply for a NILS loan and will never:-

Ask you for sensitive financial information, such as online banking passwords or codes, or your login to online banking through a link sent via text or email

Ask for your MyGov login and password details

Ask for you to download software

Ask for you to transfer money

Ask you to set up a bank account with a specific provider to have money transferred.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE BEEN SCAMMED OR THINK YOU HAVE.

Take screenshots to gather proof then;

Block all contact from the scammer

Immediately contact your bank to let them know about the scam and change your banking passwords

Change your emails passwords

If you have given any MY GOV or Centrelink information or typed passwords into a scam page – change those passwords immediately and contact Centrelink

Watch for suspicious contact such as emails, phone calls, texts, or messages through social media and do not click on any links sent to you

Monitor your bank account for unauthorised transactions

Report the scam to SCAMWATCH.GOV.AU

Report the scam to Facebook

Report it to the Department of Social Services at fraud@dss.gov.au.

Report it to the police.

Further advice on scams is available from the National Anti-Scam Centre: Scamwatch

There have been warnings about such scams for months now, there are warnings on the DSS website and versions of the above and other scams have been reported and taken down, but then re-appear in other forms. 

PLEASE BE CAREFUL ABOUT ANY SOCIAL MEDIA ADS ABOUT NILS LOANS .