News and alerts

…Scams Awareness Week 2024: Share a story, stop a scam … News This Scams Awareness Week (26 to 30 August) the National Anti-Scam Centre is encouraging Australians to speak up, share their experiences with others and to report scams to Scamwatch. This Scams Awareness Week (26 to 30 August) the National Anti-Scam Centre is encouraging Australians to speak up, share … We’re asking people to share their scam stories with friends, colleagues and loved ones to show that, given the right circumstances, anyone can become a victim of a scam. Scammers create and take advantage of different situations, such as when people are distracted, busy, fearful, anxious, or stressed. Use…

…Threat and kidnap scams target Chinese community … News Scamwatch is warning the Chinese community in Australia to be wary about two frightening scams … frightening scams targeting them that involve threats of arrest, and extortion via fake kidnappings. In 2018, Scamwatch has received nearly 1700 reports about these scams, with losses totalling $1.15 million. Losses…

…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…

…Business losses to scams up 23 per cent … ACCC’s latest Targeting scams report – a 23 per cent increase compared to 2016. Scammers swindled nearly $4.7 million from Australian businesses in 2017 according to the ACCC’s latest Targeting scams report … businesses about scams in 2017. Businesses that fell victim to scammers lost an average of nearly $11,000…

…Scam alert: Fake business invoice scams … News Scammers pretending to be real businesses are sending fake invoices to customers, with scam bank account details. These may seem to come from a business you expect an invoice from - but scammers have stolen their identity to steal your money. … of these scams, but they can affect any type of business.  Scammers make these invoices look real by copying business logos and ABNs, making the scams harder to spot.…

…Watch out for NBN scams … are increasingly using trusted government brands like NBN to trick people into falling for scams … Rickard said. The three common scams reported to Scamwatch that involve scammers impersonating NBN are…

…Scam alert: Online dating and investment scams … about online dating and investment scams. Text includes description of how the scam works, copied under this heading on the page. Statistics outline the impact of these scams on the community in 2023. 484 reports … How to spot the scam…

…Scam alert: Scammers are targeting Australians in hardship … How to spot the scam … This scam can be hard to spot because criminals can set up fake social media accounts that look genuine. The scammers will ask for your identity information and myGov login details. Investment scam victim…

…Scam alert: Jobs and 'side hustle' scams … News People looking for work are being warned to watch out for scam job or 'side hustle' ads on social media. … Scammers are using fake job ads to attract job seekers looking for extra income. Of all scam types, jobs and employment scams grew the fastest in 2023, costing Australians $24.7 million. This has almost tripled losses from these scams in 2022. These scams target people wanting to earn extra money through…

…Stop and check: is this for real? - Scams Awareness Week 2018 … News Scams Awareness Week runs from 21–25 May 2018. Australians are urged to be on the lookout for threat-based impersonation scams by taking a moment to ‘Stop and check: is this for real?’. [] Scams Awareness Week runs from 21–25 May 2018. Australians are urged to be on the lookout for threat … How these scams work…