On January 17th 2025, the South Australia Police (SAPOL) issued a warning regarding a deceptive email campaign targeting the public using a fraudulent “@police.sa.gov.au” email address. These spam emails, which have been confirmed to originate from an international domain unrelated to SAPOL or any other federal or state government body, are urging recipients to click on links to access documents.
Alan Harrland, SAPOL’s Information Security Director, highlighted the technique being used by the fraudsters known as “spoofing”. This technique misleads the email recipients into believing that the message has come from a legitimate SAPOL email address. Despite the efforts of many modern email clients to detect and block such deceptive practices, these emails have managed to infiltrate some inboxes.
Mr Harrland detailed, “Most modern email clients are capable of detecting and blocking this type of attack, however some members of the public have still received the emails in their inbox.” He added that whilst the exact purpose behind these fraudulent activities remains unclear, it is highly probable that the attackers aim to gather sensitive information such as bank account details and login credentials.
To differentiate legitimate correspondence from scams, it’s important to note that SAPOL does issue electronic ticket (eTicket) expiations, typically after a direct interaction with a police officer. These are not generated automatically without prior officer contact, except in certain cases like some parking offences. Therefore, an eTicket received without recent police contact is likely fraudulent and should be treated with caution.
Individuals who are uncertain about the authenticity of any such notice are encouraged to directly contact the Expiation Notice Branch Call Centre. They should refrain from opening any links or attachments included in suspicious emails.
Mr Harrland advised the public to always verify the legitimacy of unexpected emails purportedly sent by South Australia Police. He stressed the importance of staying informed about safeguarding personal and financial information online.
Similarly, South Australian seniors are being urged to be aware of a scam website that attempts to charge applicants a fee in exchange for a Seniors Card. Seniors should be aware that the legitimate SA Seniors Card is always free of charge and applicants are never requested to pay a fee or disclose their bank, credit card or PayPal details in exchange for membership.
For additional resources on how to protect oneself and one’s personal details on the internet, the Australian Cyber Security Centre offers guidance and support. They can be accessed at www.cyber.gov.au. Any instances of cybercrimes, including this recent email spoofing scam, should be reported to SAPOL for investigation and necessary action.
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