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.
SCAMwatch is warning Australians to be wary of scammers looking to take advantage of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy by setting up fake Facebook pages in the name of victims of the tragedy.
SCAMwatch and Qantas are warning people about automated calls from scammers posing as Qantas staff claiming that they’ve won a credit towards their next holiday.
SCAMwatch and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) are reminding people to beware of scammers pretending to represent a charity or not-for-profit organisation.
The operators behind a scam targeting small businesses with false claims about advertising services for publications with a philanthropic slant have been ordered to pay $750,000 in penalties following court action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
SCAMwatch is urging consumers considering donating to help those affected by the summer bushfires to make sure that their money goes to a legitimate charity, cause or appeal.