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Heed the warnings, watch for signs of deceptive behaviour and importantly do what you can to avoid becoming a 'scam' victim! 

Scammers are busy ramping up their criminal activities as we lead into the Christmas festive season.  Their fraudulent repertoire includes various tactics and tricks and teasers, invitations to entice the unsuspecting and innocent. Sounds too good to be true, best avoid it!

Currently, the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are in their sights using scam websites impersonating high-profile Retailers. Shoppers' favourite and well known footwear and fashion labels are the focus in this scam. And look out for bogus stores set up on social media platforms to advertise these fake websites.

Impersonation scams accounted for more that 70% of the 234,672 reports to Scamwatch in 2023 according to National Anti-Scam Centre.

The experts have spoken.

• Online scams are amongst the fastest growing crime types in Australia!
• Our personal data in this digital age has become highly valuable and sought after by cyber criminals who use it as information they can exploit for financial gain. 
• The Australian communications Consumer Action Network anticipates more scamming through the Christmas period and the ACCC revealed Australians lost a record $3.1 billion to scams last year!
• Australians via Scamwatch have reported losing nearly $400m to September this year. Not very jolly news!

Tips for avoiding scams: 

Stop and Think before you proceed. Don’t feel pressured to make quick decisions, to rush in and throw caution to the wind. Scammers will make you feel like you have to act quickly, using special short time deals to trick you.

Don’t give your personal details to anyone unless you have verified and are satisfied they are legitimate and the purpose is legitimate. Copies of passports, birth certificates, and bank account details are highly sought after by scammers for their criminal activities. 

Protect yourself. Act quickly if something feels wrong. Take action and contact your bank immediately if you have lost money to a scammer.

Here are my 3 things to look out for at this time of year! 

1. Online shopping scams: Fraudsters are creating Online stores that are replica, look-alikes of major retailers websites.  They use sophisticated designs and often stolen logos to look like the genuine thing. Well-known brands also feature in this scam. Big discounts and rewards are used as attractions. Consumers can easily be fooled.

2. Parcel scams: with online shopping so popular particularly to order those special festive gifts many consumers are waiting for their parcel delivery. Beep! That ‘fake’ text, your parcel is ready, send the balance of payment, or your package is delayed and requires payment redirection. Be wary before replying as scammers use your private information to access your card or bank account.

3. Classified ad scams: these target people selling items thru online marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace. Scammers use fake profiles and impersonate PayID services asking sellers to send additional funds or update their details to allow a transaction to happen. Sellers be ware, check before you act.

But that’s not all!   

Check our Blogs site for Your Guide to the A to Z of Scams