Government debunks influencer's $198 scam warning: 'The fine is authentic'
After sharing the 'scam' letter online, the government department investigated the penalty notice to determine its authenticity.
A scam warning seen by thousands of Aussies online has been debunked by the government who, after inspecting the fine, confirmed the penalty notice was genuine and not a "scam"
With so many scams around lately, people are on edge — including Yohanna from NSW, who was immediately suspicious after receiving a black-and-white letter that said it was a toll penalty notice and that he owed $198.
"Once I took a look at it properly I questioned the colour and I checked [the] BPay, it didn’t match [other Revenue NSW letters]," Yohanna told Yahoo News Australia.
After looking at the notice letter a spokesperson for Revenue NSW told Yahoo they can "confirm the fine is authentic".
It is also understood the Bpay biller code on the notice links back to a legitimate source and is called "RevenueNSW Fine" when you look up the biller on Bpay. The department did not explain why the notice was issued in black and white. Yohanna has since been made aware the fine is real.
How to know if your penalty notice is legitimate
With so many fake emails, spam SMS messages, fake calls from the 'ATO' and other high-tech scams it's no wonder people are apprehensive when asked for money.
"People should be vigilant in their online activity and ensure they only respond to legitimate fines," Revenue NSW said.
A penalty notice for tolls unpaid may be issued "if a person fails to pay" for a toll after using a tollway and "has also failed to respond" to follow-up notices sent as a reminder, Transport NSW told Yahoo.
To find out if a notice received by letter is legitimate, Revenue NSW recommends you view your fines via Revenue NSW's quick payment page and enter the penalty notice number. "If a fine is legitimate, it will be visible there". Otherwise, you can also view and manage fines on the Service NSW mobile app.
If you believe you've received a fake fine, you can contact Revenue NSW on 1300 138 118. "The Revenue NSW team can confirm if a fine is legitimate and discuss their individual circumstances with them".
For more information, the NSW Government has many resources on how to spot scams on its website.
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Other scams becoming more sophisticated with AI
Differentiating what is real or not is getting harder as technology advances, with some scammers being far more creative and using artificial intelligence to copy the faces and voices of Australia’s biggest names — including mining magnates Gina Rinehart and Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest, and Dick Smith — to try to get unsuspecting Aussies to invest in fake business scams.
Entrepreneur Dick Smith said even he was tricked by one of the deep-fake videos using his image to advertise an investment scheme.
"I’m incredibly angry because when I first saw it I thought it was really me, I thought they’d done an interview somewhere that I’d forgotten about but then I realised no it wasn’t," he told A Current Affair.
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