Released 13/08/2019
This week is Scams Awareness Week. As scammers become increasingly more sophisticated, Canberrans are urged to think again when it comes to their scams awareness knowledge.
Quick facts:
- Last year, Australians made over 378,000 scam reports, with more than $489 million reported lost.
- To date, since January 2019, nearly 90,000 scams have been reported to Scamwatch with a loss of almost $60 million.
- Locally, Canberrans have reported 2,924 scams to Scamwatch with a loss of just over $1.7 million since January 2019.
- Romance and online dating scams continue to be one of the most financially devastating with Canberrans losing $714,146 since January 2019.
- Since January this year, Canberrans have lost almost $130,000 to investment scams.
Scams Awareness Week aims to reduce the impact of scams by raising awareness and encouraging the community to test whether they can spot a scam or are likely to fall victim to a scam.
While Canberrans might think they are in fact too smart to be scammed, people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels can be targeted.
For more information about scams, where to get help if you've been scammed or to report a scam, visit the Scamwatch website, www.scamwatch.gov.au.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Consumer Affairs Shane Rattenbury:
"While many Canberrans may believe that they are too smart to be scammed, everyone is vulnerable to being scammed at some point in time.
"Scams are always changing and as technology advances it's important to understand that scammers can target you in different ways such as social media, over the phone or in person.
"Typically, scammers will pretend to be from a government agency or well-known organisation, threatening with fines, arrest or deportation if you don't hand over money or personal information.
"Don't be pressured to act quickly, a government agency or trusted business will never threaten you with arrest or deportation, and will never demand immediate payment with unusual methods such as with gift or store cards, iTunes cards, wire transfers or bitcoin.
"Scammers are increasingly targeting those aged 65 and over. Since January this year, Canberrans aged over 65 have reported 487 scams to Scamwatch resulting in a loss of nearly $77,000.”
This Scams Awareness Week, Canberrans are encouraged to:
- Ask yourself whether the person or business that's contacted you out of the blue is who they say they are.
- Verify the identity of the contact through an independent source, such as a phone book or online search, then get in touch with them to ask if they contacted you. Don't use the contact details provided by the caller or in the message sent to you.
- Never send money, give your banking or credit card details or other personal information to anyone you don't know or trust.
- Never give anyone remote access to your computer if they've contacted you out of the blue – whether through a phone call, pop up window or email.
- Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. It's easier to spot a scam if you know what to look for, be alert for scams and don't always think that you're too smart to be scammed.
- Statement ends -
Shane Rattenbury, MLA | Media Releases
Media Contacts
| Name | Phone | Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|