Council issues warning on bogus callers

By Alison Noonan
CITYOF Casey Council has warned residents to be wary of bogus callers.
Community safety manager Brendan Fitzsimmons said council had heard from concerned residents who reported receiving hoax calls from someone claiming to represent the City of Casey.
He said the bogus callers had requested private information from residents, such as birth dates, licence numbers and other details.
“It is highly unlikely that such calls are genuine,” Mr Fitzsimmons said.
“If residents are concerned over the authenticity of a caller purporting to be from council they are advised to ask the caller their name, department and contact number and then contact the City of Casey to check.
“Callers who are not willing to provide identification are most likely scam artists claiming to be from legitimate organisations, such as council,” he said.
Mr Fitszimmons said these callers were most likely attempting to dupe people into revealing information to use for illegal purposes, such as forgery or identity theft.
“They are breaching privacy laws.
“If in doubt, just hang up and notify the City of Casey,” he said.
Mr Fitzsimmons said residents should also exercise caution with strangers arriving at the home or work place claiming to be council contractors or representatives and asking for personal details or attempting to sell products.
“All City of Casey staff and contractors working in the community have identification and will present it when requested.
“Anyone who says they are from the City of Casey but does not have identification should be reported to the Narre Warren police on 9705 3111 or Cranbourne police on 5995 4681,” he said.