60 results, showing 11 to 20
![Dog](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/2020-05/dog.jpg?itok=OGfEDj_8)
Australians have lost nearly $300,000 to puppy scams this year, and scammers have been particularly targeting those seeking a furry companion during social isolation.
![Scamwatch COVID-19 thumbnail](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/2020-04/SCAMWATCH-COVID-19_360x272.png?itok=hClu9yey)
Australians should be aware scammers are adapting existing technology to play on people’s fears around coronavirus and selling products claiming to prevent or cure the virus.
![Scamwatch COVID-19 thumbnail](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/2020-04/SCAMWATCH-COVID-19_360x272.png?itok=hClu9yey)
Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of the spread of coronavirus to exploit and play on the fears of consumers across Australia.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/related-article/Scam33_0.jpg?itok=5791e9aY)
Australians under 25 lost over $5 million to scams in 2019 and reports made from this age group are increasing faster than older generations.
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Scamwatch is warning people to be cautious of online shopping scams in the lead up to the holiday season.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/Scams_Awareness_Week_360x272.png?itok=JRviIdyH)
Australians are set to lose a record amount to scams in 2019, with projections from losses reported to Scamwatch and other government agencies so far expected to exceed $532 million by the end of the year, surpassing half a billion dollars for the first time.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/related-article/Scam22_2.jpg?itok=8KXSmtTj)
Gift cards are increasingly the payment method of choice for scammers. Scamwatch reports show more than $5 million was lost in 2018, a 38 per cent increase compared with 2017.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/featured/merry%20christmas_0.jpg?itok=2ylIG5_p)
Scamwatch is warning people to be careful about being caught out by holiday season scams.
![alt=""](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/type-of-scam-images/online-shopping.png?itok=3HLCmMuX)
People 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.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/type-of-scam-images/protect-small-business.png?itok=W1druqQv)
Scammers swindled nearly $4.7 million from Australian businesses in 2017 according to the ACCC’s latest Targeting scams report – a 23 per cent increase compared to 2016.