Scams target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels across Australia. There is no one group of people who are more likely to become a victim of a scam. If you think you are 'too clever' to fall for a scam, you may take risks that scammers can take advantage of.
If you would like to share your story, you can report a scam to the ACCC.
The Federal Court has imposed penalties totalling $2.7 million against two overseas companies for sending thousands of Australian businesses misleading faxes and invoices in an attempt to obtain subscriptions to their online business directories.
View new scam awareness videos launched as part of the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce's 2011 National Consumer Fraud Week campaign.
Recent scam victim stories
The following stories are from Australians who have been targeted by scammers. They have agreed to share their story so other Australians can learn from their experiences.
Melba lost her life savings to a man she met on the internet. Paul lost $200,000 to a woman he met on an online dating website when he was led to believe that he was helping her and her village.
Victim story: Lynne was asked to transfer money overseas to pay for a booking agent’s ‘commission’. The credit card details provided to Lynne were stolen, and the agent was a scammer.
Victim story: Nicole thought she had won the holiday of a lifetime. What happened next made her wish she had never called the phone number to claim her ‘prize’.
Victim story: Alan was pressured into buying software that promised him huge returns from betting on the horses. The software didn’t work and the only winner was the scammer.
More information and tips on how to recognise and avoid scams: