Displaying items by tag: scammers

Middle aged and older Australians suffered the brunt of scams in September with those aged 45 to 54 the hardest hit financially during the month and the aged 65 and over reporting the highest number of scams at 5,642.

Australians have lost over $70 million to bogus investment scams in the first half of this year and a massive increase in losses are predicted by the end of the year, according to the consumer watchdog the ACCC.

Scammers have stolen more than $7.2 million from Australians so far this year by gaining access to home computers, an increase of 184% compared to the same period last year.

Telstra announced a further milestone in its “Cleaner Pipes” initiative protecting Telstra customers, blocking on average 13 million scam calls per month.

Australians have lost a record $851 million to scams, with scammers taking advantage of the pandemic to con unsuspecting people, according to a new report which also reveals that investment scams accounted for the biggest losses.

Australia’s two largest telcos - Telstra and Optus - along with Aldi’s Medion Mobile, have been warned by the telecommunications industry regulator ACMA for failing to adequately verify people’s identities prior to transferring their mobile phone numbers from other telcos.

Australian businesses reported over $14 million in losses to Scamwatch due to payment redirection scams last year, and average losses so far in 2021 are more than five times higher compared to average losses in the same period in 2020, according to the ACCC.

An SMS popped into my iPhone's messages inbox last night, proclaiming to be an "IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM COMMBANK". Given I don't use that particular bank, well, it was obviously a scam, but some might be fooled.

Losses by Australians to dating and romance scams are expected to be much higher this year as scammers turn to a new technique - romance baiting - using dating apps to lure victims into investment scams, according to the consumer watchdog, the ACCC.

Young people are reporting the highest losses to threat-based scams, with Australians having lost over $8.8 million to the scams so far this year, and people aged 24 and under reporting losing more than $4.1 million to the scams.

Australians have already lost over $300,000 to rental and accommodation scams this year - an increase of 76% compared to the same time last year - by responding to fake advertisements posted on real estate or classified websites.

Business email compromise scams cost Australian businesses $132 million in losses in 2019, causing the highest losses across all scam types for the year.

Australians lost over $634 million to scams in 2019, according to the latest Scamwatch report from the consumer watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

PayPal says there has been a boom in ecommerce with a significant increase in Australians adopting online shopping during the COVID 19 crisis.

There has been a marked increase in predatory scammers attempting to steal personal details and commit fraud, taking advantage of Australians during the COVID 19 crisis, with National Broadband Network operator NBN Co warning of heightened security threats for remote workers.

Scammers are now trying to exploit Australians financially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission which says that new superannuation scams have been reported to its Scamwatch service in recent weeks.

COMMENT Earlier this week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered everyone in the country to stay home for 21 days.

Telecommunications lobby group Communications Alliance is seeking public comment on a proposed new industry code designed to combat scam calls to consumers at risk of being defrauded.

Scammers in Australia are adapting existing technology to play on people’s fears around coronavirus and selling products claiming to prevent or cure the virus, according to consumer watchdog the ACCC.

There has been a significant spike in reports about a new scam in Australia involving suspicious emails or SMS claiming to be from online gambling websites offering credit or in-game bonuses.