Scam Awareness Week

Scam Awareness week took place between the 08-12 November 2021 to encourage everyone to start a conversation about scams to reduce stigma and help people recognize a scam sooner, or prevent it from happening in the first place.

According to the ACCC Scamwatch, scams reportedly cost Australian customers and business upwards of $240 million dollars in 2020, and caused serious emotional harm to victims and their families.

It is predicted that this amount is much higher, due to one third of people not reporting the scam due to embarrassment or feeling ashamed.

New scams are constantly emerging, which is why organisations around the country are urging people to talk about scams with their friends and family – to raise awareness and to help protect all Australians.

We have included some helpful tips to help identify a scam:

• Someone has asked you for personal information, bank details, passwords or remote access to your computer
• Something that sounds too good to be true – such as unclaimed prizes or inheritance
• Someone threatens you with immediate arrest or deportation unless you transfer money
• Suspicious texts, popup windows, social media messages or links in emails

For more information about prevention and statistics, please go to the ACCC Scamwatch website:

https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/news-alerts/scams-awareness-week-2021