Just had one of these calls from Steven Jackson from Reclaim - Australian Federal Government. Gave me ref PF148 My magical amount was $8546.00 Guess my amount was larger than some, Phone number to ring back on (02) 8005 7523 - Address Lev 2 - 123 Bibb Street - John ? Building Sydney NSW 2000. Told to ask for his supervisor Andrew Anderson or Mrs Julia Johnson. Looks like the names keep changing too. Rang back just to get more info to protect other Aussies. Same story have to pay small amount first. When I questioned her she hung up. Rang back and hung up again. Hopefully the Australian Federal Government is onto this as it is fraudulent to use Government. I truly hope they do not try this on the unsuspecting pensioner. Australian Government i would not like that on my shoulders.

Call from a private number and I only realised it was a scam halfway through as this woman was good. It was when she asked what bank I was with I thought "hang on, you just told me my bank has been overcharging". She gave me a number to call back with an ID number. I did call back.....5 times and each time told them I'd called the police, this after ranting on and on. I've never been hung up on so quickly after that last sentence. It's disgraceful that we have to come onto a message board to find that people who were doing this 3 or more years ago are back and getting away with it. Rang my bank and they said if they have my details ( name/address/DOB) which they did, they cannot access anything. Thank goodness for that. The number they gave to call back was (02) 8006 8345. If you have a spare 5 mins give them a dose of their own medicine.

Well. my guy was called Frank Cooper! What a laugh! He had the magical, mystical amount of $5,248 also! He already had all my details, but wanted to knowhow to spell my firs name and my husband's....little tiny bell starts ringing very loudly in my head by this stage. 'Frank' was exceptionally convincing, if not difficult to understand. All the usual questions started going off in my head ... why didn't my accountant tell me about such a refund? why do they need a full name on a cheque? And why does 'Frank Cooper' have a boss called 'Catherine Douglas'? Really guys, don't look in your 'History of Hollywood' for new names! My phone number was slightly different .... 8007 5535. Can't somebody PLEASE track down these scammers and prosecute them? But mind you, you can tell they're just fishing - I have nothing but a massive overdraft in my account! Perhaps they would like that? with the interest payments?

Got a call from Indian female. Stated she was from the Federal Gov't Reclaim Finance Dep't. Stated my bank had overcharged me by $7265. Had my name, address & phone number. Asked for clarification for DOB. Asked which bank I used the most often. ALARM BELL GOING OFF. Asked "if you know my bank is over charging me then already know my bank". Wanted confirmation on the spelling of my name. I told her if you already have all my details you have my name in front of you. Why don't you spell it for me? She wouldn't do it. Gave me a number to call in Sydney (02) 8006 0877. Mangers name was John Wayne......wait what. REALLY. Told to ring the manager to confirm application number........Yeah right. Got a return call 8 minutes later.....told to f#!k off.

Received a call yesterday, the names are changing again, mine was Ashley.Wanting to refund me $7,546. Did not ask for bank details though had my address.Gave Reference No and supervisors name and phone No Max Lewis (02) 8006 7205 . I smelt a rat but went along to see where it would go. I was instructed to got to the post office and get a Western Union form, call him and he would instruct me how to fill it out pay $350.00 and then someone would hand deliver a cheque within 48hrs. They would need photo ID before handing the cheque over!! I did not go ahead. How invasive are these people?? They don't just want air money but our identity as well!! Be careful is all I can say!!

Just received the same call from a member of the Finance Dept, Australian Federal Govt. Had an amount of $7,244 in overcharged bank fees. How would I like this money repaid to me, by chq, or EFT after giving bank details. I said oh and I suppose you want me to choose bank details hey. He said no ma'am, just your BSB and A/C No...lol I said if the Federal Govt wanted to contact me, they would not phone, they would write and I told him not so politely to get lost!

My manager's number was (02) 8091 3202. Her name Miss Rose Brown. Nice name for an Indian lady. Refund around $6000k+ (cant remember). sent

Received 2 hang up calls from a private number within 30 minutes.
Received another call about 2 hours later and a guy says to me, 'hello I'm calling from the reclaims department from the Australian Federal Government'. I asked him, 'where from'. He repeated the same comment. I knew it was a scam straight away because of his accent and he sounded as though he was reading.
I said to him 'do you feel important', I got no reply, so I then said, 'are you the cleaner'.
After that he rudely hung up on me.

Today I too received a call on my home phone number from a gent with a difficult accent. He claimed to be from the Reclaim Finance Department of the Australian Federal Government and advised me that he was refunding me $6,325 in overcharges. Smelling a rat, I told him it was most irregular for the Government to phone instead of writing and suggested it was a scam.
The poor bugger persisted undeterred, asking me whether I wanted the funds sent as a cheque or a bank transfer.When I replied he could send a cheque, he knew my postal address and was insistent in knowing which bank I wanted the cheque to be written on. He also gave me a (presumably transaction) reference number: RJ18.
By this stage I had gone on-line and checked the scam warnings relating to the Reclaim Finance Department and told him the conversation was finished, so he hung up.

Got the same call from trying hard scambug with an Indian accent. I knew from the start it is a scam but play with their game. I ask him what I should I do to get my money back...not knowing I am trying to get more info. He directed me to call this no. (02) 8007 5535 immediately. He even gave his ID no, which is PK116 telling me to mention it to the person whom I will be speaking. Haven't call this no., for I wanted to report this. Is it possible to monitor, tract and locate the address of the given tel.no. and just asking if I did the right by playing their game by not hanging up the phone.

just received same type of call. When I asked for his 8 digit (randomly selected ) id number. he calmly gave me 8 numbers , asked if I needed to speak to his supervisor as soon as I started to question him. Told me address(somewhere in Sydney ) . I have had so many of these calls usually Telstra techs wanting to disconnect me. . Is there anything that can be done to stop this. I cotton on but an older person might easily get misled.

just tried it on me,talking to the ato drawn out process but if it isn't reported someones mum or dad going to lose their savings.Unless we jam up the ato with calls about this scam nothing will happen.Remember the squeaky wheel gets the oil.

I just had a call from a chap sounded maybe Indian, said he was from Re-Claim a department of the Federal Government, He claimed that I had a refund coming my way , for bank over charges of $7,589. I was to ring back on (02) 8310 7052 and speak to his managers, either Norma Stewart or James Park,I was also given a reference number. The number I was called on is 0428 478 505. I am not going to call back because it sounds like a scam.

Looks like it's starting again.....just got a call today!
Different phone number now
This is info they gave me. They knew my name and date of birth
Ref as21
(02) 6152 8641

Mark Austin
Paul Edward


Reclaim department govt I'd

Same here new number (02) 6140 3493 just got a call from an Indian claiming he was from the Australian Government reclaim department saying i am owed in over change bank fee's of 7,500 give me name of the supervisor or manager to call him and confirm my details so can send me cheque.Just to let you know people.Manager name is Alan Johnson or Marie Edward something like that

I got a phone call this afternoon at 1 25pm from a mobile no0458 478 505 saying I had a rebate.

Same story here. I was given a phone number (02) 8310 7052 just now. Should the police do something on it?

The new phone number that i received is (02) 6140 3466

OK "My" guy was called Steve Williams and told me that my bank was going to pay me back 7.000 something dollars which they made me pay to much !
He said being from the Tax department (ATO) and asked for my details. I told him he should have my details if he was phoning from the ATO. He came up with our address.
I asked him a phone number and a name of his superior: I got 2 names: Miss Rose Brown and Mister Steven Coleman, but NO phone number.
I was going to get that in exchange for my DOB !!! I said that I would rather them to keep the $ 7,000 as I was not going to give them my DOB. That was the end of our conversation.

Convincing in a way though and indeed DANGEROUS people as they will convince someone.

Hope POLICE can track them.

Just had a call from Steve Williams who claimed to be from the Australian Federal Government Reclaim Finance Department advising that I will receive $7500.00 from the Government. Told to ring the supervisor on (02) 6152 8642 and ask for Miss Rose Brown or Mr Stephen Coleman when I rang and talked to Stephen Coleman, when I told him that I rang the Australian Federal Reclaim Finance Department they could not find any person with his name that worked in the Department, He hung up. Conclusion it is a big scam, also if the government do ring and ask for your BOB (which they have) and you give them a made up BOB they would pick it straight away and Steve Williams did not pick it.