Australians have lost over $192 million dollars to scams during the last year. This is an increase of 95.4% from last year.  This scam awareness week the ACCC is encouraging Australians to talk about scams with their family and friends to raise awareness.

How to identify a scam

• Someone asks your for personal information, like your bank details or passwords, or access to your computer.
• Someone you’ve never met in person asks you for money or asks you to give them money by unusual payment methods such as gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrencies.
• Something sounds too good to be true, like an online shopping deal, a competition you’ve won, an unclaimed inheritance, or being invited to invest in an ‘amazing’ opportunity.
• Someone threatens you with immediate arrest or deportation unless you transfer money.

New scams are constantly emerging, and scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Our growing reliance on technology has provided them with further opportunities to convince people into giving away their information. Keep yourself informed by visiting scamwatch.gov.au