Recognising Fraud

The basics

What is fraud?

Fraud is a crime. It happens when someone deliberately uses a lie or a trick to benefit from another person. It's important to be able to identify fraud in case you are ever targeted.

What is a scam? 

A scam is a type of fraud. It often involves a person, or group of people, trying to get money or financial gain from another person by lying or being dishonest. Scams are run by 'scammers' who use your personal information to steal your money or identity. 

Scammers try hard to make the way they communicate with you seem real. If someone you don't know contacts you asking for your personal details, demanding payment or offering you a deal that seems too good to be true, you could be the target of a scam.

Useful tools

How to spot a scam?

Some common signs of a scam are:
  • Someone you don't know contacts you unexpectedly
  • You've been asked to pay money urgently
  • You've been asked to provide personal details such as your credit card number or internet banking password.

Remember, it's okay to delay if you suspect a scam. Get more tips on spotting scams on the Australian Government Scam Watch website.

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How we protect you

At Heritage, our Fraud team works hard to keep track of scams, including those that may impact our customers. You can keep up to date on any scams impersonating Heritage Bank on our latest alerts page or by following Heritage on Facebook.
 
Heritage may call you, email or send you text messages to update you about your accounts or get your feedback. We will never request you to share personal security details such as your card details or internet banking passwords. If you think that you've fallen for a scam, we can help you. Get in touch with Heritage as soon as possible by calling 13 14 22.

More help

If you need help with your financial situation we're here for you.

Get in touch

OR call 13 14 22 to speak to our team available 24/7.