The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch is calling on people to speak up and share their experience from being scammed this Scams Awareness Week this week (8-12 November).
Deputy Chair of the ACCC, Delia Rickard said this year’s theme Stop Scams. Speak Up encouraged open and honest conversations to help people detect, prevent and avoid scams.
“The more we talk about scams, the more awareness we have, and the harder it is for scammers to steal our money or personal information,” Ms Rickard said.
“There is no need to feel ashamed or embarrassed about being scammed, because it can happen to anyone, but sharing your experiences with others can help disrupt and prevent scams,” she said.
“Scams can affect anyone, and data from the reports we receive at Scamwatch shows how easy it is to fall for a scam.”
Ms Rickard said Australians had already lost over $236 million to scams this year.
She said that while people aged 65 and older still had the highest losses (15.6 per cent) and were losing the most money, Scamwatch had been receiving an increasing number of reports from younger age groups.
She said people aged 35 to 44 had the second highest number of reports (15.3 per cent), followed by people aged 25 to 34 (14.4 per cent), “which shows scams can impact people of all ages”.
Ms Rickard said scams were becoming more sophisticated and scammers were using technology to make their scams even harder to detect.
“Scammers adapt and in a moment of inattention, it is unfortunately all too easy for even the most careful person to click on a message or fall for another type of scam,” she said.
“But your experience can help warn others to be even more careful.”
Ms Rickard encouraged everyone to use Scams Awareness Week to start a conversation about scams.
She said anyone who thought they had been scammed should contact their bank or financial institution immediately.
Further information on how people can protect themselves from falling victim to a scam can be accessed at this PS News link.
