This should be the take-home ­message for members of the Maitland community after Cr Peter Blackmore, one  of our city’s most prominent citizens, was this week targeted.

Although our mayor quickly spotted the ruse and acted to help prevent his constituents from being stung, not everyone is as astute.

Scams can come in all shapes and sizes. Some are pretty obvious. Others are more insidious and prey heavily on emotions.

The worst often target elderly ­people. In this scenario, the caller poses as a grandchild or other relative and asks for financial help. 

They often describe dire situations, such as illness, accident or threat of jail, to extract money.

Another scam that plays on emotion is where scammers lure victims by posing as potential love interests on online dating sites. 

They build relationships and trust to cause their lovelorn victims to yield personal information or money.

Fear can be a strong tool for scammers. 

Sometimes the unscrupulous pose as computer service providers, pretending to offer assistance to those unknowingly under cyber attack. 

In the process of the phone “fix”, victims throw open their hard drives to all manner of ransacking.

Bullying and coercion can also be used to convince cold-call victims that they owe money to some “authorised service provider” and face legal action if they don’t pay up immediately – via credit card, of course.

And, finally, don’t forget the feel-good scam. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

You haven’t just won a million dollars in a country you’ve never visited, let alone purchased a lottery ticket.

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