Police urge the community to be on the lookout for two types of scams as they say they’re seeing far too many residents falling victim. Just this week, two Northern Beaches residents have had almost $10,000 stolen.
The two types of common scams are the cold caller and the text message link.
Police urge anyone who receives an unsolicited call from a person representing their bank or other interest to hang up the phone and call a trusted number to verify the inquiry. They warn residents not to succumb to high-pressure tactics and don’t reveal PIN numbers or other personal information. A bank will never ask anyone to reveal their PIN over the phone.
Similarly, do not click on unknown and unsolicited text message links. Police say clicking links poses a risk of introducing malicious software into digital phones or computers.
Finally, police say any mention of an Apple gift card (such as purchasing them) should ring loud scam alarm bells.
Scammer nets Apple gift cards
On Tuesday, 3 March 2026, a Wheeler Heights woman received an email from PayPal about the purchase of furniture, and it directed her to contact PayPal if the transaction was not hers.
The email was fake.
She called the number and spoke to a scammer who, ironically, warned the woman that her identity was compromised. The scammer convinced the woman to reveal her identification and banking details.
The scammer then conned the woman into buying $1,400 worth of Apple gift cards from Woolworths Narrabeen and Coles Dee Why. The woman provided the gift card serial numbers to the scammer over the phone.
Three days later, $500 was stolen from the woman’s bank account. She realised she had been scammed and reported the matter to her bank. Her accounts were blocked to prevent further loss.
Police say preliminary inquiries reveal that the transactions were overseas. The woman reported the incident to idcare.org – a not for profit that offers support to people who fall prey to scams and identity theft.
Police say the likelihood of recovering stolen funds and identifying the offender is low.
Text message link leads to $7,600 theft
On Tuesday, 10 March 2026, a Palm Beach woman received a text message purporting to be from Medicare asking her to pay $6.99 for a new card.
The message appeared genuine, and she clicked the link and provided her banking details. The woman received a transaction verification code from her bank, but it was not for $6.99. Instead, it was for the $7,600 that was taken by a scammer.
Police say preliminary inquiries reveal the transactions are connected to overseas numbers and tracking funds and offenders is highly unlikely.
Read more:
“It is a matter of when, not if”: Free support offered to help fight online scams
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