Telstra customers warned to look out for worrying letter: ‘Secret mission’

Telstra customers have been warned to be on the lookout for a scam letter that has been hitting mail boxes.

The letter, which has a Telstra logo in the header, is actually a scam, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch said.

The letter warns customers that the telco has found evidence their account has been compromised by hackers and an “operation” needs to be run to get rid of them.

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The scammers go on to say Telstra has transferred a specific amount of money into the victim’s account and they are to take the cash out of their account and prepare to hand it over to a “Telstra technician”.

In reality, no money would have been transferred to the victim's account and they would just be removing their own cash to potentially hand over to a criminal.

The letter then urges the potential victim not to discuss the letter with anyone and gives them a contact number they should call for further information.

“We also expect you not to disclose this matter to anyone and follow the protocols of Telstra as it is a secret mission to catch the hackers,” the letter reads.

There are telltale signs the letter is not legitimate, including poor grammar and spelling throughout.

Despite the red flags, Scamwatch urged Aussies to pass on to friends and relatives the information that this was a scam, to ensure no one lost their hard-earned cash.

“BEWARE, scammers are using letters like this to convince people to withdraw money and hand it over in person to someone that will collect it from their home. This is a scam. Warn your friends, family and neighbours,” Scamwatch said.

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