Losses to online shopping scams have increased 42 per cent this year, and Scamwatch is warning Australians to be careful when buying gifts this holiday season.
Scamwatch has received over 12,000 reports of online shopping scams so far this year, with almost $7 million in reported losses.
“More people have been shopping online this year due to COVID-19 restrictions and scammers are now targeting…
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, intimidation and people’s instinct to comply with…
Australians have lost over $300,000 to rental and accommodation scams this year, an increase of 76 per cent compared to the same time last year.
Scamwatch has received 560 reports of rental scams so far this year, an increase of 56 per cent, with many using tactics related…
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Scamwatch has seen a 55 per cent increase in reports involving loss of personal information this year compared with the same period in 2019, totalling more than 24 000 reports and over $22 million in losses.
This Scams Awareness Week, listen to our new podcast series to find out how scammers use new technology to trick you into giving away information they can use to steal your identity…
Scams target all sections of Australian society including CALD and Indigenous communities
December 20, 2020
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.
In 2019, people who reported speaking English as a second language lost $13.7 million, an…
Australians are being urged to watch out for government impersonation scams with over $1.26 million lost from more than 7100 reports made to Scamwatch so far this year and in reality, losses are likely to be far greater.
There has been an increase in scams reported during…
Australians have lost nearly $300,000 to puppy scams this year, and scammers have been particularly targeting those seeking a furry companion during social isolation.
Scamwatch has seen a recent spike in puppy scams and in April reports were almost five times higher than the average, with losses on track to exceed the 2019 total of $360,000.
“A lot of people are stuck at home and going online to…
