New year, new job? Beware of scammers

Jobseekers are being urged to watch out for scammers, with new Scamwatch figures revealing Australians lost over $8.7 million to recruitment scams in 2022. The ACCC’s Scamwatch is warning young people in particular, to protect their personal information when applying...[Read More]

Helping a family member with a SCAM

A family member who is a target of a scam may be too caught up in the scammer’s web of deceit to recognise they are being scammed. You can play a vital role in protecting your loved one from harm. Identify the scam The first thing you can do to help a family member...[Read More]

Scams Awareness Week 2022: 7-11 November

Scams Awareness Week 2022 takes place 7-11 November. This Scams Awareness Week, along with over 350 partner organisations, we’re encouraging you to learn ways to identify scams and take the time to check whether an offer or contact is genuine before you act on...[Read More]

Scammers double-dipping on Aust victims

Scammers are targeting victims of previous frauds by offering to help recover their stolen money for a fee before fleecing them – again. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says people have lost $270,000 to these scams so far this year with 66...[Read More]

Watch out for fake online deals and avoid scammers this sales season

SCAMWATCH (ACCC)   Australians have already lost about $12.9 million to online shopping including classifieds scams so far this year, and the ACCC is urging consumers to watch out for dodgy deals as pre-holiday sales approach. Scamwatch has received over 26,000...[Read More]

Australians lose over $70 million to bogus investment opportunities

(ACCC) 24 August 2021   Investment scams reported to Scamwatch have cost Australians over $70 million in the first half of this year, more than the total losses reported to Scamwatch for all of 2020, and projected losses are set to reach $140 million by the end of...[Read More]

Keeping your identity safe

Money and Life (Financial Planning Association of Australia)   Have you received an unexpected email or text asking you to ‘confirm’ personal details by clicking on a link or opening an attachment? It could be an attempt to steal your information for financial...[Read More]

Australians scammed of $139m in six months

(Australian Associated Press)   Australians have lost $139 million to scammers in the first half of 2021, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. More than $31 million was swindled in June alone, the highest amount per month so far this...[Read More]

Scammers capitalise on pandemic as Australians lose record $851 million to scams

SCAMWATCH (ACCC) 7 Jun 2021 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. The report compiles...[Read More]

SCAMWATCH: Losses to car ad scams climbing

SCAMWATCH (ACCC) 27 Apr 2021 Australians have already lost over $288,000 to vehicle scams in the first quarter of this year, more than all losses reported to Scamwatch in 2019, and scammers have now begun impersonating defence personnel to con their victims. In a...[Read More]

Threat based scams targeting young people and Chinese community

SCAMWATCH (ACCC) www.scamwatch.gov.au   Australians have lost over $8.8 million to threat based scams so far this year, and young people are reporting the highest losses. Threat based scammers often pretend to be from government departments and rely on fear,...[Read More]

Online shopping scams

SCAMWATCH (ASIC)   How this scam works While many online sellers are legitimate, unfortunately scammers can use the anonymous nature of the internet to rip off unsuspecting shoppers. Scammers use the latest technology to set up fake retailer websites that look...[Read More]

Current COVID-19 (coronavirus) scams: The latest examples here:

SCAM WATCH (ASIC) Scammers are using the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) to take advantage of people across Australia.   About COVID-19 scams Scamwatch has received over 5170 scam reports mentioning the coronavirus with over $6 280 000 in reported losses since...[Read More]