If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And never hand over or advise people of your identity documents, account numbers or other personal information.

These were among the key messages delivered to nearly 50 residents at a scam awareness presentation in Victor Harbor on 6 November.

Hosted by Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie and her Centre Alliance colleague Senator Stirling Griff, the event included presentations from NBN Co Local Manager SA and NT Kym Morgan, General Manager SA Telstra Regional Australia Mark Bolton, National Australia Bank Victor Harbor Branch Manager Samantha Thomas and Senior Constable Libby Bruce from the Hills Fleurieu Police Crime Prevention Section.

Rebekha instigated the presentation in response to community concerns about the scale of scam calls including NBN scam calls, on the south coast.

“The South Coast has the oldest median age in South Australia with the average age around 60 years compared with the state average of 40 years and we know from Scamwatch statistics that older people are particularly vulnerable to telecommunication scams,” Rebekha says.

The audience was warned to be wary of any calls that make them feel fearful, and also encouraged to consider registering on the Do Not Call Register (donotcall.com.au).

Other advice included:

• Do not answer unknown calls or texts. Let the caller leave a message in the first instance.
• Be aware that Centrelink does not identify itself or leave messages so keep that in mind if you are expecting a call from that agency.
• If you are going to return a call or text, only call back numbers you have verified via White Pages or known online sites.

The audience was told that telcos such as Telstra are actively blocking identified scam traffic, with Telstra blocking more than three million scam calls in a single month. It's estimated that worldwide there are five billion robocalls per month.

Fast facts about scams

• 39% via phone
• 25% Email
• 16% Text
• 8% Internet
• 5% Social networking
• 90% of landline users (4 calls per week)
• 79% of mobile users (2.3 calls per week)