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.
Scamwatch is warning the Australian community to be wary about investment scams, with statistics revealing Australians are collectively losing $4.3 million a month to these scams.
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.
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.
SCAMwatch is warning Australians to be alert to scam calls offering to pay carbon price compensation into your bank account or asking survey questions about carbon.
SCAMwatch is warning current and former VIPtel Mobile customers to beware of scam phone calls offering a refund in exchange for payment of a fee. Scammers may claim to be from Centrelink and will ask for the fee to be paid by wire transfer.