General News
7 December, 2023
Residents warned of impersonation scams
Even with Scam Awareness Week recently passing, people are urged to be careful of impersonation scams. Impersonation scams are when scammers act as a reputable brand or organisation such as a government agency, council, bank or community group in...
Even with Scam Awareness Week recently passing, people are urged to be careful of impersonation scams.
Impersonation scams are when scammers act as a reputable brand or organisation such as a government agency, council, bank or community group in order to receive payment or personal information.
Minister for Consumer Affairs Gabrielle Williams said people always need to take the threat of scams seriously.
“Every year thousands of Victorians lose money due to scams, sometimes with devastating consequences,” Ms Williams said.
“Scams can take many forms but they are always a crime and never the fault of the victim. We want Victorians to be alert to the dangers and to contact Consumer Affairs Victoria in the event of suspicious activity.”
According to Scamwatch, three in every four scams involve impersonation. Out of the 234,672 national reports of scams in 2023 so far, 81,093 were impersonation scams, leading to $92 million being stolen, around 28 percent of the $327 million stolen from Australians this year.
Scamwatch advises people to look out for the common signs of potential impersonation scams such as being contacted unexpectedly and asked to make an urgent payment, being told to click on a link, or threatened with legal action if you cannot make a payment immediately.
To find out more information about current scams and how to protect yourself, or to report a scam visit Scamwatch at www.scamwatch.gov.au