News & alerts

Australians have already lost more money to online shopping scams in 2019 than in the entire previous year, and Scamwatch is warning people to be cautious of online shopping scams in the lead up to the holiday season.

澳洲競爭和消費者委員會（ACCC）的詐騙監察服務（Scamwatch）提醒澳洲華裔社區警惕兩種令人感到驚訝的騙局，這兩種騙局都涉及以假綁架和逮捕威脅進行敲詐勒索。

澳大利亚竞争和消费者委员会（ACCC）的诈骗监察服务（Scamwatch）提醒澳大利亚华裔社区警惕两种令人震惊的骗局，这两种骗局都涉及以假绑架和威胁逮捕进行敲诈勒索。

The ACCC’s Scamwatch service is warning the Chinese community in Australia to be wary about two alarming scams that involve extortion via fake kidnappings and threats of arrest.

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.

Scams reported to the ACCC involving identity theft or the loss of personal/banking information have cost Australians at least $16 million this year, and this figure is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Australians are losing more money to NBN scams, with reported losses in 2019 already higher than the total of last year’s losses.

Australians who are older, Indigenous or have disability reported record losses in 2018 according to the ACCC’s annual Targeting Scams report released this week.

Australian businesses reported more than 5800 scams with losses exceeding $7.2 million in 2018, a 53 per cent increase compared to 2017, according to the ACCC’s Targeting scams report.

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.