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Scammers are using breaking news events, like recent cyber-attacks or cost-of-living announcements in the Federal Budget, to exploit unsuspecting and vulnerable people, a community law webinar heard.  

A panel of experts, including a representative from NSW Fair Trading and solicitors from Legal Aid and HBL Ebsworth (the latter was the subject of a recent data breach), told an online cohort of almost 150 people that scammers are “following the news” to find “easy” ways to con the community.  

Bridget Barker, continuing legal education (CLE) solicitor at Legal Aid, who hosted the session on Monday 15 May, said it’s important that people know how to defend themselves in these situations, particularly as cost-of-living pressures grow.  

“Scammers are onto it immediately following any breaking news. We saw a scam arise straight after the Budget because there was an announcement about an increase in JobSeeker payments. People were receiving texts saying ‘to receive your $750 from the Government, click here’,” Barker said.  

“We’ve also seen people fall victim to scams following data breaches because there have been so many lately. A data breach is not a scam: it is a terrible thing to happen to an organisation and impacts so many people. But then those customers become very vulnerable to scams.  

“There was a news article recently about a lady called Doris McAllister on ABC that we used as a case study in the webinar. Doris saved up money over her lifetime, and thought she was investing her money in a bank that was offering a good interest rate. But she lost her life savings of around $250,000.”  

We’ve also seen people fall victim to scams following data breaches because there have been so many lately. A data breach is not a scam: it is a terrible thing to happen to an organisation and impacts so many people. But then those customers become very vulnerable to scams.

The session is part of a series of free webinars called “Lunch and the Law” as part of Law Week NSW, run by Legal Aid in partnership with Marrickville Legal Centre and The State Library of NSW.  

From 15–21 May, sessions will be run online during lunchtime about a range of topics, including renting and no grounds evictions, traffic offences, employment law and dealing with debt.  

Nat Neumann, Legal Aid CLE Solicitor in Charge, said the webinars are designed to help people understand their legal rights and where they can go for free help.  

“We are running the sessions as webinars so they are accessible to people across NSW. But through the partnership with the State Library, a lot of local libraries are live streaming the sessions and having people come face to face to watch it,” Neumann said.  

Law Week NSW is an annual festival that is about creating greater access to justice for Australians. It is a program of community events and activities that are designed to help people understand their rights, the law, the legal system and the profession.