19 results, showing 1 to 10
![Image of hand holding phone amidst cyber graphical treatment](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/2022-09/Phone_tech.jpg?itok=EoLt7KxM)
Scamwatch is urgently warning Australians to be on the lookout for increased scam activity following the recent Optus data breach and to take steps to protect themselves.
![Woman's hands texting](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/2022-08/Hi%20Mum%20scam.jpg?itok=H6sa030Q)
Scamwatch is urging the public to be wary of phone messages from a family member or friend claiming they need help, following a significant rise in “Hi Mum” scams in recent months.
![two women's trying to make an online payment on their laptop](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/type-of-scam-images/unusual-payment-scam-thumb.jpg?itok=MKza5OET)
Australian businesses lost $227 million to payment redirection scams in 2021, a 77 per cent increase compared to 2020, the ACCC’s latest Targeting Scams report reveals.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/related-article/false-billing-phone-scam-2_1.jpg?itok=fyZ-wGQt)
Scammers stole over $66 million last year from Indigenous Australians, people who identified as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), and people with disability
![A couple browsing on their laptop while on a phone call](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/type-of-scam-images/online-shopping2-thumb.jpg?itok=xTcxv3Qp)
Australians lost a record amount to scams in 2021, despite government, law enforcement, and the private sector disrupting more scam activity than ever before.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/featured/1531-Scamwatch-Targeting-Scams-Report-THM_1.png?itok=zLnq7f6s)
Payment redirection scams were the most financially damaging scams for Australian businesses in 2020 according to the ACCC’s latest Targeting Scams report.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/featured/1531-Scamwatch-Targeting-Scams-Report-THM_1.png?itok=zLnq7f6s)
Australians lost over $851 million to scams in 2020, a record amount, as scammers took advantage of the pandemic to con unsuspecting people, according to the ACCC’s latest Targeting Scams report released today.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/Scams_Awareness_Week_360x272.png?itok=JRviIdyH)
The ACCC has launched a podcast series for this year’s National Scams Awareness Week to provide Australians with tips on how to protect their personal and financial details from scammers.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/featured/1531-Scamwatch-Targeting-Scams-Report-THM_1.png?itok=zLnq7f6s)
Data from the ACCC’s annual Targeting Scams report, released this week, indicates scammers don’t discriminate and are targeting a range of different communities in Australia.
![](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/featured/1531-Scamwatch-Targeting-Scams-Report-THM_1.png?itok=zLnq7f6s)
Australians lost over $634 million to scams in 2019, according to the latest figures in the ACCC’s Targeting Scams report released today.