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Scamwatch is warning people to be careful about being caught out by holiday season scams.

Tax scams seem to be everywhere at the moment and Scamwatch is warning people not to engage with phone calls or emails they receive threatening arrest or jail over unpaid tax debts.

Scamwatch is calling on businesses to urgently review how they verify and pay accounts and invoices as reports of business email compromise (BEC) scams to Scamwatch have grown by a third this year.

Scammers are increasingly catching out people by impersonating well-known businesses or the police so they can get access to computers and steal money or banking information.

Scamwatch is warning the Chinese community in Australia to be wary about two frightening scams targeting them that involve threats of arrest, and extortion via fake kidnappings.

See also in-language PDF:
针对华人社区的威胁和绑架骗局

Indigenous Australians who fell victim to scams in 2017 lost an average of nearly $6500 according to the ACCC’s latest Targeting Scams report.

Australians lost more money to scammers in 2017 than in any other year since the ACCC began reporting on scam activity.

If you lost money to a scammer through Western Union from 2004 to 2017, you may be eligible for a refund. Find out how you can make a claim.

Scamwatch is urging all Australians who lost money to a scammer through Western Union from 2004 to 2017 to take action by the extended deadline of 31 May to try to get it back.