Telstra Country Wide Area General Manager for Western NSW Scott Curtin said his office has received several reports from customers concerned about calls which seemed misleading or suspicious.

“Customers have received calls from people claiming to be Telstra staff, asking for their phone number and personal details. These ‘hoax’ callers do not use our standard security procedures and rush into requests for banking and email informa- tion,” Mr Curtin said.

“Never give your personal information or bank account details over the phone and always ask for the name of the person and the company they rep- resent. If you are feeling at all unsure just say no thank you.”

Mr Curtin said Telstra did not make calls under its former trading name Telecom, and did not release customer information to other telecommunications companies for them to ‘take-over’ the relationship with Telstra home phone customers.

To protect against hoax callers Telstra advises customers should:

■ Always ask for the name of the person you are speaking to and who they represent.

■ Never provide personal, credit card or email account details over the phone.

■ Avoid responding to text messages or missed calls that come from unfamiliar numbers.

Phone Telstra on 1800 260 270 to report or raise a concern about a rogue telemarketer or hoax call.