Consumers warned of telephone credit card scam

People are being advised to avoid giving their personal and financial details to bogus callers claiming to be from the New South Wales branch of Fair Trading.

New South Wales residents are being urged to be aware of a telephone scam currently in operation.

Fair Trading minister Virginia Judge has revealed that several people in the state have received bogus calls from fraudsters in recent days, who - under the guise of being a Fair Trading officer - attempted to obtain bank account and credit card details.

Such criminals were said to be offering a reimbursement on overcharged bank fees, although Ms Judge pointed out that the department does not offer such a service.

In addition, she claimed that it would never ring people to request their financial details.

"These scammers are falsely representing trusted members of our community and are tarnishing the good name of Fair Trading," Ms Judge claimed.

Her Australian banking advice comes as recent figures from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission revealed a 60 per cent rise in scams over the course of last year.

By Joe Letts