Fake salespeople have been rocking up to Tasmanian doorsteps and scamming residents into signing up for non-existent services on the incomplete National Broadband Network (NBN) according to warnings from the government and consumer groups.Tasmanian householders are being warned by the Minister for Broadband, Senator Stephen Conroy, to be wary of salespeople reported to be donning jackets with major telecom logos and telling consumers that they could only get NBN services with them.
The warnings spawned from a report handed to consumer group Digital Tasmania of a dodgy salesperson, who was unfamiliar with the area they were in and was quoting incorrect ADSL and future NBN speeds, trying to sell NBN services in an area that has yet to see the fibre network installed.
Senator Conroy and Digital Tasmania each warn customers against giving away details or making payments to any door-to-door salesmen making such claims and to check with consumer affairs groups if visited by similar salepeople.
Senator Conroy puts the precautions down to “common sense.”
The alleged scam could deter customers from trusting future NBN offers, so consumer groups are encouraging caution but openness to future, authentic offers.
“Consumers should not shun the NBN due to this incident, because there are always unscrupulous people who take advantage of large programs, especially when awareness is low,” said Digital Tasmania spokesperson Andrew Connor.
