While scam artists and cons are constantly evolving, there are some timeless rules to keep from being taken advantage of. Chief Inspector John Wadsworth had four key rules to keep in mind when receiving suspicious phone calls, text messages or other messages.

This is a common scam that takes a number of forms. Fraudsters will call or message a target claiming to be from the Australian Tax Office, law enforcement or another government agency.

The goal is to incite fear in the target by claiming that they could face legal consequences, before asking for identifying documents or money.

Inspector Wadsworth said "You always have to remember that the ATO will never ask for your license or your credit card. The same advice goes for Telstra, or any others."

He added that scammers are moving away from cold calling, which leads to point number two...

While this might seem obvious, over $33 billion was lost in twelve months so it bears repeating.

As scammers capitalise on the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of such, text messages preying on the increased prevalent of online shopping have increased. It's not uncommon to receive messages relating to a parcel lost in transit or somebody requesting ID to send an item.

The cyber-crime awareness unit Scamwatch has clear advice on this.

"Don't click on hyperlinks in text/social media messages or emails, even if they appear to come from a trusted source."

Chief Inspector Wadsworth was quick to remind everyone that the police are available for advice and information regarding suspicious emails, phone calls or text messages.

"I've always said that the best way is that you can always ring us and to keep an eye on Scamwatch. You can ask someone in your family or friends who does know about it as well, get them to look at it," Inspector Wadsworth said.

He added that it's important to stay aware of changes in how scams operate.

"You need to know it's always evolving. The scams are always changing their tactics to be one step ahead so you might think 'I know not to open that link' but there's others. I heard of a facebook friend request being used."

The final advice Inspector Wadsworth had was that you should never send money to someone you don't know, no matter who they say they are.

"The whole gist is don't share your license, don't deposit any money and don't confirm your details. They might call or message and say 'we just need to check,' it's not real."

Scamwatch added the same advice.

"Never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for personal or financial details, even if they claim to be a from a reputable organisation or government authority - just press delete or hang up."

While scams are constantly evolving and becoming harder to detect, following these four rules and asking for help if unsure is sure to help prevent you becoming a victim.

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