There has been an increase in residents receiving scam calls claiming to be from the City of Ballarat.
If you receive a phone call from someone saying they are calling on behalf of the City of Ballarat Council, look out for these signs, it may be a scam:
- Calls coming from a mobile phone number
If we are contacting residents or we have partnered with a provider to conduct a phone survey, these calls will not come from mobile phone.
- Claiming to be from the Ballarat City Council
Our survey provider always identifies themselves by name. National Field Services conducts surveys on behalf of the City of Ballarat. If council staff are contacting residents directly, we will provide a full name and the council department we are calling from.
- You are asked for your address, name, marital status, or mortgage status
City of Ballarat staff have access to our residents' names and addresses (where needed) and our survey partner is not given this information as they do not need it. If you are asked for personal information, the call may be a scam.
- The caller is "pushy" or "rude" when speaking to you
Our survey provider will cease the phone call if a resident advises they do not wish to participate and not push residents to be involved in the survey. Our staff will always be courteous and polite when speaking with residents.
To find out more about scam calls and how to report one if you think you may have had a spam call, visit the ScamWatch website.