CALD community lose $22 million to scams in 2020 - SCAMWATCH ALERT - ACCC SCAMWATCH

 

Last year scammers stole close to $34 million collectively from people who identified as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), people with disability, and Indigenous Australians. Figures from the ACCC’s latest Targeting Scams report released earlier this week shows losses to the CALD community represented a 60 per cent increase compared to 2019, across 11,700 reports. “Last year we saw a big increase in losses to scams affecting culturally and linguistically diverse communities,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said. “Some members of CALD communities suffered higher losses on average than the overall community, accounting for one in every eight dollars lost.” “Unfortunately, scheming scammers try to target people who by virtue of their background, disadvantage, language skills or disability may experience vulnerability, and be more likely to fall for their tricks,” Ms Rickard said. Investment scams were responsible for $6.3 million in losses, the most costly type of scam for the CALD community. This was followed by threat based scams, and people from CALD communities lost $6 million to these scams up 248 per cent from 2019. The Chinese authority scam is a common threat based scam which cost people from the CALD community $4.3 million last year. These scammers impersonate Chinese authorities and accuse their victims of committing a crime, such as sending a parcel with illegal goods like fake credit cards, and threaten them with deportation or arrest unless they paid money or provided their personal information. “We received over 2,000 reports about Chinese authority scams in total last year with $7 million lost, and almost a quarter of these were from people with a CALD background,” Ms Rickard said. “This shows that these scams continued to disproportionately target Mandarin speakers in Australia.” Other threat based scams involved scammers impersonating Australian government departments such as the Australian Tax Office saying you will be arrested for unpaid tax and the Department of Home Affairs threatening to arrest you and have you deported. “Australian governments will never threaten you with immediate arrest. Always stop and think about who you might be dealing with, and if you’re not sure whether the call is legitimate, hang up and call the organisation directly using contact details you independently source,” Ms Rickard said. Scams also impacted Indigenous Australians in 2020. Last year Scamwatch received 3,455 reports with over $2 million in losses from Indigenous Australians. While the losses were 4 per cent lower than those in 2019, the reports increased by nearly 25 per cent. The most financially damaging scams for Indigenous communities were dating and romance scams, followed by investment scams and online shopping scams. People who identified as having disability made more than 7,500 reports to Scamwatch, and lost close to $10 million to scams last year. Dating and romance scams accounted for about half of these losses. More than one third of reporters also said they had lost personal information. Meanwhile, 25 per cent of people without disability reported losing personal information. “Unfortunately scammers do target all sectors of the community so it is important to stay alert,” Ms Rickard said. “Remember, never give your credit card details or personal information to anyone who contacts you out of the blue no matter who they say they are, as scammers can do an excellent job impersonating the government and private sector organisations like banks and telephone companies." "If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately,” Ms Rickard said. The ACCC has translated the Little Black Book of Scams into ten languages to help the community understand and avoid scams. The ACCC regularly engages in Indigenous outreach programs and shares scam warnings on the Your Rights Mob Facebook page. Find out more in our media release.

Payment redirection scams cost Australian businesses $14 million - ACCC Scamwatch

 

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 last year. Total losses are much higher as these scams are reported to a range of different organisations. In a payment redirection scam, also known as business email compromise scams, scammers impersonate a business or its employees via email and request that money, which usually is owed to the legitimate business, is sent to a fraudulent account. “Payment redirection scams impact businesses across many industries, including real estate, construction, law, recruitment, and universities,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said. “Scammers tend to target new or junior employees, or even volunteers, as they are less likely to be familiar with their employer’s finance processes or the types of requests to expect from their supervisors.” “We recommend organisations ensure their staff are well trained in the company’s payment processes and remain aware of payment redirection scams,” Ms Rickard said. Payment redirection scams can take several different forms. In some instances, scammers hack into a legitimate email account and pose as the business, by intercepting legitimate invoices and amending the bank details before releasing emails to the intended recipients. In one instance, a victim lost $16,500 in a single transaction after a scammer used a staff member’s email address to send an invoice to a customer with ‘updated bank details’, redirecting the payment to the scammer’s personal bank account. Other times, payment redirection is done by spoofing, when scammers impersonate CEOs or other senior managers using a registered email address that is very similar to that of the genuine email address. The scammer will then request that staff transfer funds to them or make a payment to a third party on behalf of the business. Scamwatch has also received reports of scammers posing as staff members, where they request the employee’s salary be paid into the scammer’s bank account. “An increasing number of reports are coming from sports and community clubs which reported more than $55,000 in losses to payment redirection scams last year. It is likely we will see similar figures this year, with $18,000 already reported lost so far in 2021,” Ms Rickard said. Scammers posed as the president or treasurer and requested staff to action payments for ‘equipment’ or other business needs, but the money went straight into the scammer’s bank account. Other businesses or individuals have also inadvertently paid a scammer as a result of a payment redirection scam. “It can be difficult to recover money lost to a payment redirection scam, so prevention is really important,” Ms Rickard said. “Don’t deviate from your organisation’s payment procedure, even if the request you have received appears to come from your CEO or a senior manager.” “If you have received a request that creates a sense of urgency, don’t rush. Take the time to consider and check whether an email is real, including by looking carefully at the sender’s email address, before acting on instructions,” Ms Rickard said. “Whenever there is a request to change payment details, always check with the organisation using stored contact details, rather than those in the requesting communication.” If you have been the victim of a scam, contact your bank as soon as possible and contact the platform on which you were scammed to inform them of the circumstances. To report a cyber crime visit the business reporting page at cyber.gov.au.   @scamwatch_gov Follow us on Twitter    Report a scam Report a scam on our website Click here for the previous post

Scams Cost Australians Over $630 million - ACCC SCAMWATCH

Australians lost over $634 million to scams in

 2019, according to the latest figures in the 

ACCC’s Targeting Scams report released 

today.

There were more than 353,000 combined

 reports to Scamwatch, other government 

agencies and the big four banks last year.

“Unfortunately it is another year with 

devastatingly high losses, and scammers are 

constantly finding new ways to defraud 

Australians,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia 

Rickard said.

“This year we have included data from the big 

four banks which gives a more complete 

picture of how much people are losing to 

scams.”

Business email compromise scams accounted 

for the highest losses in 2019, with the 

Australian business community, and some 

individuals losing $132 million.

This was followed by investment scams at 

$126 million, and dating and romance scams 

at $83 million.

Over the last 10 years of Targeting Scams 

reports, Scamwatch has received almost one 

million reports of scams.

“When we combine Scamwatch reports with 

partner data, we see that Australians have 

reported losing $2.5 billion over that time, 

which is astonishing,” Ms Rickard said.

“We know these numbers still vastly 

understate losses as around one third of 

people don’t report scam losses to anyone 

and in the past far fewer scam reports to other 

agencies have been captured.”

“Some of these scams can last for months, or 

even years, and can leave victims financially 

and emotionally devastated.”

Based solely on reports provided to the ACCC 

in 2019, scams originating on social media 

increased by 20 per cent and contacts via 

mobile phone apps increased by 29 per cent.

“Over the last decade, scammers have taken 

advantage of new technologies and current 

scams are using social media apps and new 

payment methods that didn’t exist in 2009,” 

Ms Rickard said.

“In particular, a new trend with dating and 

romance scams is scammers contacting the 

victim on social media apps or games which 

are not designed for dating, so it’s important to 

be aware that scammers can target you 

anywhere.”

Common techniques that scammers use to 

manipulate their victims include making 

exclusive offers that you don’t want to miss 

out on, or asking for small commitments, such 

as completing a survey, to make the victim 

more likely to comply with larger schemes.

“You can always say no, hang up the phone or 

delete an email, even if you’ve said yes 

previously. You don’t owe the scammer 

anything,” Ms Rickard said.

If you think have been the victim of a scam, 

contact your bank as soon as possible and 

contact the platform on which you were 

scammed.

The ACCC continues to work with the private 

sector to share intelligence about scam trends 

impacting their services, to assist their own 

disruption efforts.

The ACCC encourages people to 

visit www.scamwatch.gov.au to report scams 

and learn more about what to do if they are 

targeted by scammers.

They can also follow @scamwatch_gov on 

Twitter to keep up to date with advice for 

avoiding the latest scams affecting the 

community.

Background

The 2019 Targeting Scams report includes 

data from Scamwatch, ACORN (ceased 

operating 30 Jun 2019), ReportCyber 

(commenced 1 Jul 2019), ACMA, ATO, 

Services Australia, WA Scamnet, 

Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Westpac and 

ANZ.

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SCAMWATCH - Be Aware Of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Scams

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EDITORS NOTES: It is really sickening to here that people pick on others weakest moments for illegal financial gain. If you know anyone that has been affected contact Scamwatch immediately. They need to catch these people out.

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SCAMWATCH RADAR ALERT: - Gen Z The Fastest Growing Victims Of Scams

Australians under 25 lost over $5 million to scams in 2019 and reports made from this age group are increasing faster than older generations. In 2019, around 12,000 (7.15 per cent) reports made to Scamwatch were from people under the age of 25, an increase of 11 per cent compared to 2018 figures. Reports from this age group increased by 10 percentage points more than any other age group. “Scammers don’t discriminate based on age and the wide-range of scams reported by this age group is concerning,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said. “Young people may think they are tech savvy, but scammers are adapting and we expect to see more scams on newer platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok.” Facebook and Instagram were the most common platforms for reports and losses by those under 25, with typical scams on these platforms involving fake online stores or the sale of fake tickets to events. Online shopping scams were the most common scams, making up more than 14 per cent of reports and almost 12 per cent of losses among people under 25. “Almost half of the losses to people under 25 occurred through bank transfer but you should also be wary of sellers asking for payment through unusual payment methods such as gift cards or bitcoin,” Ms Rickard said. “Always try to purchase tickets from authorised sellers and be aware that many links sourced through social media will not be legitimate.” Additionally, scammers are using social media platforms and email as forums for sextortion scams, where they threaten to share intimate images or footage of you online, unless you give in to their demands. “In many cases if you receive a sextortion threat from a stranger claiming they have compromising images or video footage of you, these images don’t actually exist, so delete the message. If you are concerned, you can contact the e-Safety Commissioner,” Ms Rickard said. Scammers can also target children who play online video games, such as Fortnite, by offering unlocked achievements or special items in exchange for money or gift card codes without ever transferring the item. “By targeting children, scammers could obtain personal and banking information from the individual’s parents,” Ms Rickard said. “We encourage parents and guardians to ensure children do not share personal or banking details online, and if they think a scammer has gained access to their personal information contact their financial institution as soon as possible.” “You should also contact the platform on which you were scammed and inform them of the circumstances surrounding the scam,” Ms Rickard said. People can also report a scam to the ACCC through Scamwatch, which offers further information on where to get help, and how to protect yourself from scams. Background How to report scams on digital platforms: Facebook To report a post, Facebook advises users to click on the top right of the post, and then select either ‘Report post’ or ‘Report photo’. They then have to select the option that best describes the scam, and follow the rest of the onscreen instructions. To report a profile, Facebook suggests that a user clicks and selects ‘Report’ on the bottom right of the suspicious profile’s cover photo, and then follow the instructions onscreen. Instagram To report a post, Instagram advises users to tap the three dots above the post, and select ‘Report’. Select the option that best describes the post and follow the onscreen instructions. To report a profile, Instagram advises users to tap on the three dots in the top right of the profile and select ‘Report’. Select the option that best describes the profile and follow the onscreen instructions. Snapchat Users can report another account by pressing and holding that Snapchatter’s name, tapping ‘More’, then tapping ‘Report’. To report a snap or story on the platform, users can press and hold on the snap or story until the white flag icon appears. They can then select this icon to Report to Snapchat. TikTok To report a suspicious account, users can click on said profile, tap the ‘Settings’ icon, tap ‘Report’, then follow the prompts. To report a video, the user can open the video and tap the ‘Share’ icon, then tap ‘Report’ and follow the prompts. To report a comment, the user can tap the comment that they’d like to report, click ‘Report’ and follow the prompts. To report a message received, a user can open the conversation and tap the ‘Share’ icon, then tap ‘Report’ and follow the steps in the app.

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ROMANCE SCAMMERS ON THE MOVE - ACCC & SCAMWATCH

Romance scammers move to new apps, costing Aussies more than $28.6 million

Dear Community, Scammers are using new online platforms to take advantage of their victims, with dating and romance scams making up one fifth of losses across all scams reported to Scamwatch in 2019. Australians reported almost 4,000 dating and romance scams in 2019, with losses of more than $28.6 million, and these numbers will be just the tip of the iceberg. Around 37.5 per cent of reports resulted in a loss, with an average loss of more than $19,000. Beyond traditional online dating websites, the highest losses were from romance scams originating on Instagram and Facebook. Conventional dating platforms, such as Tinder or Match.com, also had high losses. A new trend emerging in 2019 was scammers increasingly turning to apps like Google Hangouts, or online games such as Words with Friends and Scrabble to con their victims. “We’ve seen an increase in reports from people who did not originally seek an online relationship but have been caught up in a dating and romance scam,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said. “No longer are dating websites the only contact method for dating and romance scams, with an increasing number of reports coming from these emerging websites and apps.” “Romance scams are particularly devastating because not only are there financial losses, but there is also an emotional toll for the victim, which can have lasting psychological impacts on people,” Ms Rickard said. Scammers try to make their target fall in love with the persona they have created and quickly profess their love for the victim. They will normally weave complicated stories about why they can’t meet in person and ask the victim to send money or provide financial aid so they can travel to meet them. While less common, there have also been instances of scammers meeting their victim in person and requesting money. If the person sends money, the scammer will ask for more, and if they don’t, the scammer may become aggressive or use guilt to manipulate their victim. “If you’re interacting with someone online, it’s important to be alert and consider the possibility that the approach may be a scam,” Ms Rickard said.  “Don’t give out personal information, including your financial details, to anybody you haven’t met in person, no matter who they say they are, and don’t share intimate photos or use webcams in an intimate setting.” “Don’t agree to carry packages internationally or agree to transfer money for someone else as you may be inadvertently committing a crime.”  “If you become concerned by the conversation, such as if the person is asking for ‘favours’ or money, cease communication,” Ms Rickard said. People who think they may have provided their banking details to a scammer should contact their bank or financial institution as soon as possible. They can also report a scam to the ACCC through Scamwatch, which offers further information on where to get help, and how to protect yourself from scams. For more facts and figures about these types of dating and romance scams, see our media release.   @scamwatch_gov Follow us on Twitter    Report a scam Report a scam on our website

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