Flooding

As flood warnings are issued across NSW, the NSW SES Stroud Unit tells residents to be prepared for weather.

“Every flood is different,” NSW SES said.

“Impacts from recent floods mean conditions and environments may have changed and future floods may be different than expected or experienced.

“People in the impact locations should keep clear of creeks, low lying rivers and storm drains, never enter flood water, stay vigilant and monitor conditions,” the service said.

Sandbags

There are sandbags in three areas across the Myall Lakes for people in need: Tea Gardens in the carpark near the Library, Bulahdelah near the RFS Shed, and the North Arm Cove Community Centre.

There are sand and empty bags available at the sites and residents are required to bring their own shovel.

‘Hi Mum’ Scam

Scamwatch is urging the public to be wary of phone messages from a family member or friend claiming they need help, following a significant rise in ‘Hi Mum’ scams in recent months.

More than 1,150 Australians fell victim to the so-called ‘Hi Mum’ scam in the first seven months of this year, with total reported losses of $2.6 million.

The vast majority of these scams were reported in June and July 2022.

Known as ‘Hi Mum’ or ‘family impersonation’ scams, victims are contacted – most often through WhatsApp – by a scammer posing as a family member or friend.

The scammer will claim they have lost or damaged their phone and are making contact from a new number and once they have developed a rapport with their target, the scammer will ask for personal information such as photos for their social media profile or money to help urgently pay a bill, contractor or replace the phone.

These requests continue the ruse of a lost or broken phone with the justification that the funds are needed because they can’t access their online banking temporarily.

Some messages will simply say “it’s me”, while in other cases the scammers appear to have contact information and use the name of the person they are impersonating.

People who detect a scam, regardless of whether they have lost money, can report scams on the Scamwatch website scamwatch.gov.au.

Missing Persons SMS

You may have received an SMS message from number +61 444 444 444 with details about a missing person in the past.

These SMS messages are not a scam and are official text messages from the NSW Police Force as part of the new geo-targeting alert system.

You will receive a message if you have been within 5km (in metropolitan areas) or 20km (in regional areas) of a missing person’s last reported location.

The text message will include the name and a physical description of the missing person, where they were last seen and how to report a sighting.

By Tara CAMPBELL