Be on the alert for scams

Payment redirection scams cost Australian businesses $128 million in 2020

Payment redirection scams are the most common type of false billing scam impacting small businesses. These scams target a large range of businesses, including real estate, construction, law, recruitment, sports and community clubs, and universities. According to the ACCC’s latest Targeting Scams report, payment redirection scams were the most financially damaging scams for Australian businesses in 2020. Combined losses for these scams reported to Scamwatch, other government agencies, banks and payment platforms totalled $128 million last year. Reports to Scamwatch show that Australian businesses lost $18 million to scams in 2020, a 260 per cent increase on losses reported in 2019. “Small and micro businesses made most of the reports to Scamwatch and experienced an increase in losses in 2020, although larger businesses reported the highest losses,” ACCC Deputy Chair, Mick Keogh, said. Based on Scamwatch data alone, false billing scams were the most commonly reported scam by businesses and accounted for three quarters of total losses to businesses. Small and micro businesses accounted for almost 60 percent of these false billing reports. There are a range of false billing scams, but the most common type was payment redirection scams, also known as business email compromise (BEC) scams, with 1,300 reports and $14 million in losses. This is a substantial increase from the 900 reports and $5 million in losses reported in 2019. In a payment redirection scam, scammers impersonate a business or its employees via email and request an upcoming payment be redirected to a fraudulent account. “One thing we know about scammers is that they will take advantage of a crisis,” Mick said. Businesses were also targeted by health and medical scams in 2020. About half of the $3.9 million in total losses reported to health and medical scams were from businesses, as they attempted to procure personal protective equipment for their staff to comply with government guidelines during the pandemic. Other scam types that impacted businesses throughout the year included phishing, identity theft and hacking scams. “It is so important for businesses to stay informed about scams so they can protect themselves,” Mick said. “The ACCC provides a range of resources for businesses on how to avoid scams on the Scamwatch website and in our media releases throughout the year.” How to protect your business:

• Ensure your staff know about your payment processes and what the warning signs are for false billing scams. • Take time to consider if a payment request is genuine even if you are told that it is urgent. • Check that emails that ask you for payments or provide you with bank details are real by checking the sender’s email address. • Check if a payment request is real by getting in touch with the business asking for payment using a contact method you have used before. If you’ve been scammed, you should contact your bank as soon as possible. You should also contact the platform that you were using when you were scammed to let them know what has happened. Businesses are encouraged to report scams to Scamwatch. To report a cybercrime visit the business reporting page at www.cyber.gov.au More information on scams is available at www.scamwatch.gov.au including how to make a report and where to get help.

NEW TOOL TO MEASURE SAFETY OF WEST AUSTRALIAN ROADS

A tool designed specifically to meet the needs of local governments to assess the safety of local roads to reduce death and serious injuries will be developed by researchers from The University of Western Australia

UWA and Western Australian Local Government Association’s (WALGA) RoadWise received funding from the Australian Government Office of Road Safety’s Road Safety Innovation Fund to identify a suitable safety ratings tool that could evaluate the safety performance of WA’s local roads network. The Safety Ratings for Local Roads project will help inform decisions on the State’s infrastructure projects and prioritise investment. UWA’s Western Australian Centre for Road Safety Research will review existing road safety ratings tools in consultation with local governments and other stakeholders to establish the key criteria for a local government road safety rating tool in a new approach to road safety. The Centre will then develop a new tool that is simple and quick to apply so that all local governments can benefit from road safety ratings, without requiring access to the capability and resources that current tools require. Associate Professor Paul Roberts said the team was looking forward to working with WALGA’s RoadWise to improve the safety of local roads. “Implementing a safety rating tool will provide local governments with high level information about their road network and support strategic decisionmaking to improve the safety performance of their road network,” Dr Roberts said. Professor Lynn Meuleners, Director of the Western Australian Centre for Road Safety Research, said the Centre was delighted to be working with WALGA and RoadWise on this important initiative to improve local government road safety in WA. “Local government roads comprise more than 80 per cent of the road network in WA and incur nearly 60 percent of the fatalities and serious injuries,” Professor Meuleners said. “It is critical to develop tools that are practically applicable, with special attention to the resourcing and capability constraints often faced by local governments.” WALGA President and Mayor of the City of Wanneroo Tracey Roberts said the new project would provide an evidence base for assessing the safety of local roads and support local governments to prioritise infrastructure projects which had the largest impact on reducing death and serious injuries. The project will run over three years with completion in mid-2023. More information about this project is available at www.roadwise.asn.au

COOLDRIVE BOLSTERS MARKETING OPERATIONS

A familiar figure has been promoted to a new position

CoolDrive Auto Parts has bolstered its Marketing department, promoting Jock Harris to the position of General Manager – Sales and Marketing. Jock has been an integral member of the CoolDrive senior leadership team for over 12 years, joining the family-owned and operated business as its General Manager – Sales and Branch Operations in 2009. In this newly-created position, Jock will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day sales of CoolDrive’s 34 branches across Australia and New Zealand and implementing the business’s marketing strategy. “Marketing has become a huge, important and rapidly changing part of CoolDrive. Great marketing can make a large difference to a business and the team we have at CoolDrive is vibrant, knowledgeable and enthusiastic to help us grow and make a difference!” Jock said. Jock has over 30 years of automotive industry experience and is well-placed to take the CoolDrive business to the next level. “During Jock’s time at CoolDrive we have seen our sales grow exponentially, and improved operations at our branches,” CoolDrive Auto Parts Chief Executive Officer, John Blanchard, said. “He is a proven performer, and we know he is the best person to oversee our marketing operations – we are very much looking forward to the future.” Based at CoolDrive’s Brisbane branch, Jock will be supported by Marking Promotions Manager Andrew Kan, who works out of CoolDrive’s Head Office in Melbourne. For further information on CoolDrive Auto Parts, visit www.cooldrive.com.au

BEN BROWN NAMED THE CAPRICORN RISING STAR APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR

The Capricorn Rising Stars trophy is heading to New Zealand

Hailing from Rangiora, North Canterbury, apprentice Ben Brown has demonstrated outstanding problem-solving capacity, commitment to excellence and a genuine love for automotive, to be named the 2021 Capricorn Rising Stars, Apprentice of the Year. Capricorn Rising Stars is an initiative to recognise and reward Australasia’s top-performing apprentices so they may be retained in the industry long-term. These are apprentices who show initiative in their business, eagerness to learn and commitment to the automotive industry. By recognising the contribution of automotive apprentices and the bright careers they have ahead of them, Capricorn aims to help its Members continue to attract the best talent and keep more qualified repairers working in the industry. To claim the award, Ben beat out a record setting 600-plus apprentices who were nominated in 2021. This includes some truly outstanding candidates from a broad array of industry sectors including panel and paint, auto electrical, commercial/heavy diesel, tyre/wheel and general mechanical workshops located across Australia and New Zealand. Capricorn Chief Executive Officer Automotive, Brad Gannon, said the number and high quality of nominations was a positive sign for the industry. “It is clear the future is in safe hands with so many outstanding apprentices being nominated by Capricorn Member workshops. The record number of applications is also a tribute to the resilience and strength of our Members’ businesses that have continued to develop tomorrow’s qualified repairers in a year of disruption,” Brad said. “We at Capricorn look forward to helping these Members to strengthen their businesses further, to thrive not survive, in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Truly, we are stronger together.” CWR Motorsport’s Mel Ward described Ben as the perfect fit for their workshop. “We took on Ben our apprentice in August 2020. To say the least, it is the best thing we have done. Ben has a fantastic work ethic, he is polite, and great with the customers,” Mel said. “He is passionate about not only his mechanic side of the job, but also has a lot of ideas and vision to help us to grow our business. He has proved to be invaluable, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without him.” These sentiments were echoed by Ben who attributed much of his success to the support received by his employers at CWR Motorsport. “Chris Ward is well known in the motorsport field, and equally regarded as an honest, professional, and remarkably skilful automotive engineer. This has afforded me learning opportunities I didn’t know existed, developing skills I had only dreamt of, working amidst the motorsport sector,” Ben said. “I firmly believe it’s all about perspective and attitude. I have an appetite for knowledge and a passion to be the best at what I do. I treat every job as an opportunity to develop my skillset and knowledge. By doing this I hope to become the best technician possible.” As the 2021 Capricorn Rising Star, Ben will receive $5,000 from Castrol. The CWR Motorsport team will also benefit from enrolment in the Workshop Whisperer’s Service Advisor Pro online program. Capricorn congratulates Ben and all the Capricorn Rising Star nominees who are sure to be industry leaders of the future. Capricorn also gives its thanks to Capricorn Preferred Suppliers and program sponsors Castrol, Repco and The Workshop Whisperer for their continued support. Look out for Capricorn Rising Stars to return in 2022 as Capricorn seeks to support their Members to recognise, reward and retain more outstanding apprentices. To join Capricorn and benefit from membership in Australasia’s largest cooperative, call 1800 327 437 or visit www.capricorn.coop/join