Macau Daily published this article warning Australians that there is a sms going around telling consumers that they have won a bogus prize. In fact, we have been receiving a few emails asking if the SMS they received is genuine.
Note that this scam is going around globally, so be warned.
According to the website (ScamWatch Australia), the text messages appear to be sent by “Grand Sands Casino Investment” (GSCI) from Macau and include details of a fake prize, valued at US$100 000.
When SMS recipients ring the hotline number, they are told they have won the “lucky draw” door prize for a press conference held at the Rialto Tower in Melbourne – which in fact never took place.
SCAMwatch also said that callers are asked to provide personal details such as their licence number, home address and banking information. They are also asked to make a AUD$2000 payment to cover part of the 20 percent “winnings tax” that allegedly applies in Macau.
“While it appears that the hotline is a Melbourne number, SCAMwatch warns it is possible for scammers to use numbers that appear to originate from within Australia when they are actually routed to overseas locations,” the alert adds.
