News and alerts

…News SCAMwatch is warning those looking for love online to be wary of dating and romance scams. SCAMwatch is warning those looking for love online to be wary of dating and romance scams. SCAMwatch has received hundreds of complaints about online dating and romance scams. Scammers target victims by creating … Visit victim stories to learn more about  real life dating and romance experiences and learn how to recognise and spot scams. Find out more about dating and romance scams on SCAMwatch and read the ACCC Media Release .…

… scams in Chinese languages .…

…You can report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page on SCAMwatch. You can also call the GrantsLINK call centre on 1800 026 222 if you have received a suspicious call about grants. … For more information about how you can protect yourself, check out the Requests for your account information ('phishing' scams) and Up-front payment scams pages on SCAMwatch. The Department of Infrastructure … the Australian Communications and Media Authority have issued a joint media release about phone scams .…

… the puppy you hoped for. Classifieds scams are also common for cars, boats, motor bikes, and more … ad—many well-known scams can be found this way. If you are in doubt contact a reputable breeders … For more information about how you can protect yourself, check out the up-front payment scams page on SCAMwatch. SCAMwatch has also issued the following radars on classifieds scams in the past: Scammers target online car buyers Selling goods through the internet or classifieds? Cute puppies for sale…

…How these scams work … effective management procedures can go a long way towards preventing scams. Have a clearly defined process for verifying and paying accounts and invoices, and try to avoid giving too many staff authorisation to make orders or pay invoices. … For more information on how these scams work, check out the small business scams section on SCAMwatch. For more information on the ACCC’s successful 2011 court action against this type of scam, see the media release ‘$2.7 million penalty for fake “Yellow Pages” directory scam’ . Stay one step ahead…

… AUD branch or outlet funds were sent from. See also: Did AUSTRAC contact me? Frauds and scams…

… Competition Act for promoting lottery and sweepstake scams to millions of consumers in over 200 countries … perpetrating scams outside the borders of the country where they reside. It also illustrates the commitment of authorities around the world to work together to protect consumers from scams. … Visit the Competition Bureau Canada website for more information on this case. Stay one step ahead of the scammers—visit SCAMwatch for more information about Lottery and competition scams (fake prizes) and further tips on How to protect yourself from scammers. Back to the SCAMwatch radar .…

…These scams operate through websites which charge a fee for services offered freely or at a lower cost by government or charge for services they never end up delivering. This scam commonly targets registrations and renewals, for services such as: business registrations grants tax file numbers travel … You can report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page on SCAMwatch. … SCAMwatch has issued previous radars and a media release on scams which impersonate government: September 2011 - ACCC media release - International internet sweep targets websites with false sponsorships July 2011: Beware of scam calls offering carbon tax compensation payments May 2011: Scammers pose as…

… names; many well-known scams can be identified this way. Before committing to buy a smartphone or … You can report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page on SCAMwatch. … See our classified scams page for more information on this type of scam. Stay one step ahead of scammers, follow @SCAMwatch_gov on Twitter or visit http://twitter.com/SCAMwatch_gov .…

… awareness about scams and how you can protect yourself. Fraud Fortnight will run from 24 February to 8 March … awareness about scams and how you can protect yourself. This year's campaign, Fraud Fortnight , will run from 24 February to 8 March 2008. Fraud Fortnight focuses on scams that … initiative organised by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN). Scams are…