News and alerts

…Gen Z the fastest growing victims of scams … News Australians under 25 lost over $5 million to scams in 2019 and reports made from this age group are increasing faster than older generations. Australians under 25 lost over $5 million to scams … scams reported by this age group is concerning,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said. “Young people may…

…'Tis the season for online shopping scams … News Scamwatch is warning people to be cautious of online shopping scams in the lead up to the holiday season. Australians have already lost more money to online shopping scams in 2019 than in the entire previous year, and Scamwatch is warning people to be cautious of online shopping scams in the lead…

…Scam alert: Online shopping scams … . The National Anti-Scam Centre has removed or limited access to thousands of investment, phishing, and online shopping scam websites this year. About 50 per cent of fake or malicious websites taken down in the last 3 months have been running online shopping scams. … How to spot the scam…

…Australian businesses hit hard by email scams … News Australian businesses reported more than 5800 scams with losses exceeding $7.2 million in 2018, a 53 per cent increase compared to 2017, according to the ACCC’s Targeting scams report. Australian businesses reported more than 5800 scams with losses exceeding $7.2 million in 2018, a 53 per cent increase…

…Watch out for holiday season scams … News Scamwatch is warning people to be careful about being caught out by holiday season scams. Scamwatch is warning people to be careful about being caught out by holiday season scams. “Scammers will … personal information,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said. Here are three common holiday season scams…

…Consumers urged to be wary of celebrity endorsement scams … News People are increasingly being caught out by celebrity endorsement scams, with reports to … are increasingly being caught out by celebrity endorsement scams, with reports to Scamwatch increasing 400 per cent and losses increasing a staggering 3,800 per cent so far in 2018. These scams often…

…Businesses lost an average of $10,000 to scams in 2016 … News Nearly 6000 businesses reported being targeted by scams in 2016 according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Targeting Scams report, with losses totalling around $3.8 million, an increase of almost 31 per cent. Nearly 6000 businesses reported being targeted by scams in 2016 according … – these scams trick a victim into downloading a virus that infects computer systems and prevents user access until payment is made to unlock it. In 2016, reports indicate that there was an increase in ransomware emails to businesses, purportedly from legitimate companies such as Australia Post or a utility…

…Indigenous consumers, watch out for scams – the top scams reported … money. The top three scams that Indigenous consumers have reported to SCAMwatch this year are: … Government or business affiliation scams –…

…Scams Awareness Week 2022 … News Scams Awareness Week 2022 takes place 7-11 November. This Scams Awareness Week we’re encouraging you to learn ways to identify scams and take the time to check whether an offer or contact is genuine before you act on it. Scams awareness week 2022 banner Banner saying 'How to spot a scam. Scams … The Scamwatch and ACCC websites contain a range of tools and resources about scams. Scamwatch report form : If you’ve come across a scam you can report it here. Scamwatch reporting statistics : Provides up-to-date statistics on scams reported by Australians. Targeting Scams Reports : Our yearly…

…Optus data breach scams … News Scamwatch is urgently warning Australians to be on the lookout for increased scam activity following the recent Optus data breach and to take steps to protect themselves.…