I received this in the mail today and it has been reported to Scamwatch. Commonly known as a ‘419’ scam, this is a popular scam in which the sender offers to transfer a large sum of money but asks for the payment of fees, charges or taxes to help release the money.

Beware of unsolicited letters, calls, texts or emails which include unsolicited offers.

Some of the telltale signs that this letter is a scam include:

• lack of official letterhead/insignia,
• use of generic email address,
• poor quality grammar,
• no personal connection to the person or organisation (why are they making the offer to me?), and
• name and title that doesn’t match those of the person who occupies a similar position in the organisation (I checked their website).

And the final telltale sign: an offer that sounds too good to be true (because it is!)

Scams cost Australians over $630 million in 2019, but we can all protect ourselves by learning how to spot a possible scam, and how to verify it if we’re unsure.

To learn the telltale signs of a scam, how to protect yourself, or to report a scam visit Scamwatch.