20 results, showing 11 to 20
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Australians lost over $634 million to scams in 2019, according to the latest figures in the ACCC’s Targeting Scams report released today.
![Scamwatch COVID-19 thumbnail](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/2020-04/SCAMWATCH-COVID-19_360x272.png?itok=hClu9yey)
Australians should be aware scammers are adapting existing technology to play on people’s fears around coronavirus and selling products claiming to prevent or cure the virus.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The ACCC is warning people to be on the lookout for scammers who are trying to con their victims into paying for scams with Apple iTunes gift cards.
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Nearly 6000 businesses reported being targeted by scams in 2016 according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Targeting Scams report, with losses totalling around $3.8 million, an increase of almost 31 per cent.
![Woman looking concerned on laptop](/sites/www.scamwatch.gov.au/files/styles/scamwatch_news/public/related-article/Woman%20looking%20concerned%20on%20laptop.jpg?itok=OSpBO4V4)
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is warning the community to be aware of phone calls from scammers pretending to be from the Department of Human Services or Centrelink.