News & alerts

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

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 using fake charities or impersonating real charities to take advantage of people’s generosity and compassion, with losses reported to the ACCC’s Scamwatch increasing steadily over the past four years.

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.

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.