The Victorian Government is urging members of the community to be careful and wary with their personal information during the current pandemic as new figures reveal Victorians lost more money to scams in the first eight months of this year than they did in the entire 12 months of last year.
With Scam Awareness Week coming to a close today (21 August), the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Melissa Horne said that being mindful of who people were giving their personal details to had never been more important.
In a statement, Ms Horne said pandemic restrictions meant more people were turning to digital platforms to communicate, and while social media was a great way to stay connected, it could also be a hunting ground for scammers.
“New Scamwatch data shows Victorians have been scammed out of more than $10 million already this year, compared to just over $8.2 million in 2019,” Ms Horne said.
“Almost 2,000 Australian reported potential identity theft so far in 2020 alone,” she said.
“Identity scams can happen in many ways, ranging from someone using your credit card illegally, to having your entire identity assumed by another person and business conducted in your name without your knowledge or consent.”
Ms Horne said Victorians could help protect themselves by not giving personal information to unexpected messages and emails asking for details, even if they claimed to be from a reputable organisation or government authority; not opening attachments or clicking on links in unexpected social media messages or pop-up windows; and if unsure about the legitimacy of a message, contact the person or business using contact details found independently.