NBN Co urges Australians to be vigilant of scammers amid rise in calls

NBN Co, the company building and upgrading Australia’s telecommunications and broadband network, is urging residents to be wary of scammers impersonating the wholesale network provider.

Today new information has been published on the company’s website to help residents understand how to identify and avoid scammers posing as NBN Co.

The advice follows an 84 per cent increase in enquiries about suspected scams made to the wholesaler’s contact centre since October 2018. Approximately 28 per cent of those calls originated from residents in NSW; 24 per cent from Victoria and 19 per cent from Queensland.

More than 8.5 million homes and businesses are now able to order an nbn™ service from their preferred phone and internet retailer, with the rollout scaling up in Australia’s capital cities.

NBN Co’s Chief Security Officer, Darren Kane, said:

“With nearly three in four homes and businesses now able to connect to the nbn™ access network, it’s vital people understand the steps involved in making the switch, including how and when NBN Co and retailers will communicate with customers.

“It’s important to remember the key point of contact for Australians connecting to the nbn™ access network will always be their preferred phone and internet service provider. This is because NBN Co is a wholesale-only company and does not sell services directly to the public.

“In fact connecting to the nbn™ access network is not automatic and people need to contact their preferred phone or internet provider to make the switch.

“We urge residents and businesses to be vigilant of callers claiming to be from NBN Co requesting personal or financial information. We will never make unsolicited calls or door knock to sell broadband services to the public. We will never request remote access to a resident’s computer and we will never make unsolicited requests for payment or financial information.

“Protect yourself by verifying who are you are talking to. If in doubt, hang up and call your retail service provider customer service centre to check if the call is legitimate.”

For more information on scams, please visit: www.nbn.com.au/scamadvice.

NBN Co’s top tips for protecting yourself against scammers:

• Visit NBN Co’s website at www.nbn.com.au/scamadvice for information on how to identify and avoid potential scammers or for advice if you suspect you have been scammed.
• Remember NBN Co is a wholesaler, which means we do not sell phone or internet services directly to the public. People need to contact their preferred phone and internet provider in order to make the switch.
• Do not share your financial information ((i.e. bank, credit card or gift card details) or personal details with an unsolicited caller or door knockers trying to seek payment for an nbn™ service.
• Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer or devices via the installation of programs.
• NBN Co does not make automated calls (i.e. robocalls) to advise of disconnections to a service. Please do not engage with these calls. 
• If in doubt, hang up and call your retail service provider on their official customer service centre number to check if the call is legitimate. Do not use contact details supplied by the caller.

For more information, visit: www.nbn.com.au