Displaying items by tag: romance scams

Australians navigating the online dating world are falling victim to scams, with victims' financial losses averaging $11,914, according to a new report from consumer cyber safety company Norton.

Romance scams are on the rise and Valentine’s Day is just one example of when these scams can significantly increase, according to security and exposure management company Tenable, who also warn that the reality is that scammers are constantly looking to prey on those looking for genuine connections and “abuse the currency of trust”.

NBN Co are taking the initiative during the ACCC's National Scams Awareness Week, November 8 to 12, to run a series of special free webinars, in partnership with ASCCA and other national organisations, to help Australians get 'ScamFit' as NBN and other company impersonation scams go on the rise - and losses by everyday Aussies grow, too.

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 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.

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.

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).

Scammers are using new online platforms to take advantage of their victims, with dating and romance scams making up one fifth of losses amounting to millions of dollars, across all scams reported to the ACCC’s Scamwatch service in 2019.

Scammers fleeced an average of nearly $6500 from Indigenous Australians in 2017, a 14% increase on 2016, with total losses to scams around $1.7 million – with the most losses incurred by Indigenous victims of dating and romance scams.

Hinge, a dating app developed in the US and widely reported as a “Tinder” killer has been re-launched in Australia this week.