How to protect yourself from scams

MSA National takes the security of your information seriously and we have adopted security measures and industry best practices which include, regular review of our security procedures, mandatory staff training in order to protect your money and your data.

However, the transmission of sensitive information via email is not always secure. Fraudsters can set up email domain names which are confusingly similar to real domains, in order to try to fool you into thinking you are corresponding with your MSA National Settlement Coordinator and any of your representatives, like a mortgage broker or conveyancer. Fraudsters can also intercept emails sent to you and change the contents such as MSA National's contact number and/or MSA National's bank account details to that of the fraudsters.

How to spot a scam - 3 simple steps

We recommend the following precautions when corresponding with MSA National, and in particular when being asked for personal information, or payment requests such as when we ask you to transfer funds to our trust account for settlement:

Something look off about the communication?

Emails:
Always verify the sending address and make sure it says msanational.com.au in the address and the headers of the email. Look out for unusual email addresses or URL’s. They may look similar to official communications but aren’t quite right.

Here are examples of fraudulent email URL’s:

  • msaanational.com.au
  • msanational.com
  • msanational.net.au
  • msanational.net

Be alert to any change in style or tone of an email. There may be spelling errors or poor grammar. Do you recognise the email address? If it seems out of character or inconsistent with the style or language of prior emails, this may be an indication that the sender is someone other than the MSA National Settlement Coordinator.

Are the logos/branding consistent with previous correspondence?

Phone calls or SMS:
Does a call or text from ‘MSA National’ or your lender seem strange? Before acting on any request STOP and ask:

  1. Does the request make sense?
  2. Does it seem unprofessional?

Are there any discrepancies in key details from earlier email correspondences?

Matter Number or Lender Reference:
Ensure that any matter number or lender reference quoted corresponds with what is expected or has been known/verified in the past especially in the DocuSign email you first received from MSA National.

Bank Details:
Check to ensure that the MSA National bank details provided in any future correspondence from the MSA National Settlement Coordinator is precisely the same as the bank account details provided in the Settlement Authority you would have signed in the secure DocuSign envelope. CHANGES to our bank details would NEVER be communicated to you in an email.

Example 1: MSA receiving money from you.
Your MSA National Settlement Coordinator may in cases where you have a shortfall (i.e. where your loan amount is less than what is required to be paid out at settlement) ask you by email to deposit this shortfall into our trust account. Please verify these bank account details by referring to the 'Shortfall' section of your Settlement Authority located in your signed loan document pack OR by calling your MSA National Settlement Coordinator using a known/confirmed number. Please note MSA will never advise you of CHANGES to our bank account details by email.

Example 2: MSA paying funds on your behalf.
MSA National will not rely on emails from yourself or your representatives to make payments to third parties. MSA will rely on the Settlement Authority you signed in your loan document pack. Any CHANGES to any payment details will require a NEW Settlement Authority to be signed by you via the same method of execution you originally undertook when signing your document pack. If you signed your loan documents using DocuSign, the NEW Settlement Authority will be issued via DocuSign with an SMS dual-factor authentication code sent to your mobile phone. If you received your loan documents via password protected email, the new Settlement Authority will be issued via email with an SMS dual factor authentication code sent to your mobile phone.

If unsure, call a trusted source

Do NOT simply use unvalidated phone numbers provided in any email you receive from MSA National or your representatives, as those often go to fraudulent phone systems where they'll falsely validate bad account information.

If you cannot verify a request or it seems suspicious, do not action the request. Immediately contact your broker or conveyancer using a known contact number (not the one in the email) and let MSA National know on reportascam@msanational.com.au

If you are unsure, always call MSA National on 1300 672 007 or contact your MSA Settlement Coordinator on the details provided in the DocuSign email you received or the 'Customer Signing and Settlement Checklist' at the beginning of your loan document pack.