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 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.
Scamwatch is urging tech-savvy daters to be on the lookout for romance scammers this Valentine’s Day as data shows these scams are increasingly happening through social media and dating apps.
SCAMwatch is warning Australian consumers to beware of a fake website pretending to be the official Australia Government Department of Climate Change website.
SCAMwatch is warning Australians to be wary of websites that appear official but fail to deliver on promises to provide birth, death, marriage or divorce certificates in return for a fee.
SCAMwatch is warning Australians to erase their hard drive before parting with old computers and laptops. Simply deleting individual files is not enough to remove personal details, documents and passwords stored on the machine.
SCAMwatch and Australia Post are warning of scam callers pretending to be from Australia Post and requesting payment to redeliver an undelivered parcel.
SCAMwatch is joining the UK Metropolitan Police Service in warning of online accommodation booking scams in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
