Telstra warns customers after 400 per cent increase in reports of scam calls

Telstra has reported a four-fold increase in the number of attempts by scammers to trick consumers into disclosing sensitive financial information.

The company said con artists are saying they are from Telstra and in most cases falsely claiming there is a problem with their computer and seeking remote access to fix the issue.

The warning comes a week after former Commonwealth Bank chief marketer Andy Lark said he was bombarded with calls from a company claiming to represent the telco, although Telstra denied it had links to the calls, warning they may have been a scam.

Telstra’s customer service team is receiving about 500 scam-related comments per month, while field staff are also reporting a lift in anecdotal reports, which the telco’s director of customer advocacy Peter Jamieson described as “concerning”.