Phone scammers posing as WhistleOut: please be careful

What to do?

There has been a recent significant rise in the number of consumers complaining about scam telephone calls and emails, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The ACCC is calling on Australians to immediately hang up the phone if a scammer calls. Scammers typically impersonate well known organisations including the ATO, Microsoft and Telstra.

If you think that you have been scammed please follow these steps:

Report the matter to your local police immediately.
Report the matter to Scamwatch which is a website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
If phones/plans have been ordered on your behalf you can report this direct to the carrier fraud team, so they can help to cancel the order and return the phones. Do not send the phones back to the scammers. You need to have made a police report first before contacting the carrier.

Optus call 1800 460 756 or by email at [email protected]
Vodafone call 1300 650 410
Telstra call 13 22 00 or fill out the form at: http://say.telstra.com.au/cust...

If you can provide us with any details on the scammers like names, emails or phone numbers (remember - we won't call you unless you've specifically asked us to), please call us on 02 8920 1279 or email us at [email protected]

We have been sharing details that we receive with the local North Sydney Police, Scamwatch and to the ACCC.

It recently came to our attention that a group of phone scammers has been pretending to be WhistleOut Australia to trick people into sharing private information under the guise of selling them a new mobile phone and plan.

This group makes random, unsolicited phone calls and send emails from a call centre overseas claiming to be from WhistleOut in Australia. Their messages are designed to look genuine using our logo and they offer new smartphones and phone plans in an attempt to steal your private information. We've also been informed that the scammers may order phones on your behalf and then later claim there is a fault and have you post the new phones to them, which they steal.

From the information we’ve received, this is what we know about the scam group:

The scam group set up email addresses to try to look legitimate. These can change frequently. A few we have seen are:

The best way to check that an email is actually being sent from the real source is to check the email header. If you are using Gmail, you can verify the source quickly by clicking on the 'show details' arrow directly below the name of the sender. The important sections are the mailed-by and signed by parts. If this doesn't say whistleout.com the email is not from us.

Names that they have used in emails and on the phone:

Raj (Rajinder)
Harry
Mary or Merry
Anna
Dexter Morgan
Steve Roger
Eliza
Kiran

Phone numbers they have called from:

02 8851 7319
02 8073 4458
02 8317 3675
02 8379 4698
02 8880 0377
02 8379 4687
02 8785 3700
02 8317 3676
02 8091 7050
03 8676 5632
03 8676 5624
03 8676 5622
02 9057 8044
02 8006 9794
0401 218 685 (used to text updates for fake orders)
0408 901 735
+44 2080 8922 78
8851 7319
WhatsApp 0408 901 735, 0478 101 153

They are calling from overseas (even though they say they have a local address in Sydney Road, Manly). They fake caller ID numbers to show local numbers and they change the numbers frequently. If you don't recognise the incoming call number then consider letting it go to voicemail. If you do pick up and you don't know the caller then hang up.

The ACCC recommends the following options if you receive an unsolicited phone call or message:

Don't respond to numbers supplied in an automated call or from numbers you don't recognise
Always be sceptical and if you're unsure the person on the end of the phone is not who they say they are, hang up and call the organisation directly on an independently verified number
Don't give someone who calls you out of the blue any money, personal details or access to your computer
Don't return calls to international numbers unless you know them
Delete any messages left on your voicemail

A few important things to know about WhistleOut:

We don’t sell any of the products listed on our site. We list plans and prices for comparison purposes only.
We never make unsolicited phone calls.
We never ask for personal details. Ever.
We keep regular business hours between 9am and 5pm AEST from Monday to Friday, and we close for all public holidays.
We have a single office in Australia located in Crows Nest, NSW.

Below is a recent example of the scam email some people have received after speaking with the scammers. Again, if you see anything like this, do not engage with them any further.

Another letter we've received has the scammers asking for copies of personal documents. With this information the scammers can steal your identity and purchase products on your behalf, among other things.

And another example with a slightly different look.

Some things to look out for

For starters, we will never send you an unsolicited email or phone you to make an offer. Beyond this, there are a few signs that the messages are not from us.

Look for email addresses that do not end in '@whistleout.com' and check the email header. If you are using Gmail, you can verify the source quickly by clicking on the 'show details' arrow directly below the name of the sender. The important sections are the mailed-by and signed by parts. If this doesn't say whistleout.com the email is not from us.
Any phone call from someone claiming to be WhistleOut offering to sell anything.
Anyone claiming to be located in a Melbourne office of WhistleOut. We only have one office in Australia located in Crows Nest, NSW.
The emails are written in poor english with numerous spelling errors and incorrect use of punctuation.

Can I still use the site?

Yes!

There's no disruption to your use of our site and service - this guide is to help you in case you have had a random call from someone impersonating WhistleOut, impersonating a telco, or even another dealer or comparison site for that matter.

Everything on our site is under our own control and you can compare and purchase safely. You can even start below. Just be alert to the reality of scammers becoming increasingly active and always check Scamwatch - it's a healthy habit to get into.