accc.gov.au
July 2022
Report of the ACCC on scams activity 2021
Targeting scams
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
23 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601
© Commonwealth of Australia 2022
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ACCC 06/22_22-40 www.accc.gov.au
Targeting scams
Foreword
ThisreportisthethannualTargetingScamsreportandthefinalreportIwillbeinvolvedwithinmy
roleasDeputyChairItoutlinestherangeofscamsthathavecontinuedtoimpactAustraliansin
andtheenormouseortsbygovernmentlawenforcementtheprivatesectorandcommunityto
combatscams
Scamlossesgrowtooverbillion
InwecontinuedtoseerecordlevelsofscamactivityinAustraliaNearlybillioninlosseswere
reportedtoScamwatchReportCyberfinancialorganisationsandothergovernmentagencies
Whenwetakeintoaccountthefactthataroundonethirdofscamvictimsdon’treporttoanyoneitis
clearthatthereallossfigureiswelloverbillionWealsoknowthatthetruecostofscamsisfarmore
thanjustfinancial–itleadstoemotionalstressandcanhavelifechangingconsequencesformany
individualsfamiliesandbusinesses
Thelargestcombinedlossesinwere
millionlosttoinvestmentscams
millionlosttopaymentredirectionscams
millionlosttoromancescams
ThemostfrequentlycomplainedaboutscamstoScamwatchinwere
phishing&identitytheftscamswithovercomplaints
threatstolifearrestorotherwithovercomplaints
falsebillingwithovercomplaints
onlineshoppingscamswithovercomplaints
AsonlyaboutofvictimsreporttoScamwatchitisclearthatthesenumbersvastlyunderstatethe
extentofthesescams
Inscamshavesadlycontinuedtocauseharmtopeopleinallsectionsofthecommunity
Worryinglysomeofthemorevulnerablemembersofthecommunityarereportingincreasinglyhigh
lossesIndigenousAustraliansolderAustralianspeoplefromculturallyandlinguisticallydiverse
communitiesandpeoplewithdisabilityarelosingfarmorethaneverbeforeAsacommunityweneed
tofocusmoreeortondisrupting&preventingscamsbothbystoppingscammersconnectingwith
potentialvictimsinthefirstplaceaswellasstoppingmoneyreachingscammers
Urgentworkisneededtocombatcryptocurrencyinvestmentscams
Thepopularityandhypeofcryptocurrencyhasledtoasurgeinlossestoinvestmentscamswith
combinedlossestoinvestmentscamsofmillionAtthesametimeitisalsobecomingthe
preferredmethodofpaymentacrossalltypesofscams
Cryptocurrencyhasbeendescribedasthewildwestwithmanycountriesnowseekingtoregulate
aspectsofitInMarchtheAustraliangovernmentbeganconsultationonapproachesforlicencing
digitalcurrencyexchangesandcustodyrequirementsforcryptoassetsWhileongoingIamhopeful
thatthisandotherregulatorymeasureswillslowthegrowthofcryptocurrencyscamsinAustraliaItis
alsopleasingtoseeGoogletakingstepstoaddressscammersexploitingtheirplatformwiththerecent
announcementthatitwillmakechangestoitsadvertisingpolicyandrequireadvertiserswantingto
promotefinancialservicesinAustraliatocompleteaverificationprocessanddemonstratethattheyare
licensedbyASICThatsaidthereisstillmoreworkthatneedstobedonetopreventscamsacrossall
digitalplatforms
Targeting scams
Telecommunicationsindustrymakingprogressbutmoreneedstobedone
ItisfantasticseeingtheresultsoftheimportantworkundertakenbytheACMAtelecommunications
industryandotheragenciestocombatscamsTheReducingScamCallsCodehasledtoareduction
inphonescamreportstotheACCCofalmostinWhileSMSscamshavefilledthegapthe
industryiscurrentlyfinalisingtheexpansionoftheCodetoplaceobligationsontelcostomonitorand
blockscamSMSSimilarlynewruleshavecommencedtorequirebetteridentificationforhigh-risktelco
transactionsWehopetoseetheresultsoftheseinitiativesinand
Workingtogether
Thisworkshowsthatwhenregulatorsandindustryworktogetherandshareinformationeective
disruptioncanachieveresultsWehopetoseemoreexamplesinothersectorsincludingthebanking
sectorinthecomingyearasitisclearmoreworkacrossallpartsoftheeconomywillberequiredif
wearetotrulygetontopoftheproblemJustoneexampleofachangethatwouldhaveanimpact
especiallyonpaymentredirectionscamswhereovermillionwaslostinisintroductionof
confirmationofpayeesbybanksThereissadlynocasetorelaxoureortsasweareintheequivalent
ofanarmsracewithscammersconstantlyfindingnewwaystogetarounddisruptioneorts
Finalwords
IwanttofinishbythankingthemillionsofpeoplewhohavemadereportstoScamwatchovertheyears
andsharedtheirstoriestohelpothersortostopscammersWithoutthesereportsallthegoodwork
thathasoccurredcouldnothavebeendoneWeknowthatmostpeopleareunabletorecoverthe
moneylostbuttheexperiencesthataresharedassistusacrossalltheworkwedo
IalsowanttothanktheScamwatchteamespeciallyJaydeRichmondandotherACCCstawhoover
theyearshaveworkedtirelesslyonourscamspreventionanddisruptionworkI’dalsoliketoespecially
thanktheteamatIDCAREwhodosomuchtohelpthevictimsofscamsInadditionI’dliketothankthe
staacrossothergovernmentagenciesthepolicetheprivatesectorthemediaconsumeradvocates
financialandothercounsellorsandourinternationalcounterpartsWhilethisismylastTargetingScams
reportIlookforwardtoseeingthegoodworkcontinue
ItisonlythroughourcombinedeortsthatwecanmakearealdierencetothisenduringproblemBy
sharinginformationcollaboratingtoincreaseawarenessofscamsinnovatingtodisruptscammersand
fixingthesystemsorprocessesthatscammersseektoexploitwecanmakeAustraliaahardertarget
forscammerspreventlossespeciallytothevulnerableandimprovetheoutcomesofthosewhohave
experiencedharmfromscams
DeliaRickard
DeputyChairACCC
Targeting scams
Contents
Foreword
Targetingscams 
TheroleofScamwatch 
Notesondatainthisreport 
 Scamactivityin 
 Keystatistics 
 Thecontactandpaymentmethods 
 Thepeoplewhohavelostmoney 
 Thebusinesseswhichhavelostmoney 
 Thescams 
 Thefightagainstscams
 Scamactivityin 
 Combineddata–thebiggerpicture 
 Theimpactofscamsandunreportedscamactivity 
 Scamwatchstatisticsin 
 Datafromthefinancialsector 
 Datafromgovernmentagenciesandlawenforcement 
 Scamwatchtrendsin 
 Investmentscams 
 FlubotSMSscam–largestSMSscaminAustralia 
 RemoteAccessscams 
 ContinuingimpactsofCOVID- 
 Agriculturescams 
 Thepeoplereportingscams 
 Thedemographics 
 ScamsaectingIndigenousAustralians 
 Scamsaectingculturallyandlinguisticallydiversecommunities 
 Scamsaectingpeoplewithdisability
 TheBusinesseslosingmoneytoscams 
 Thefightagainstscams 
 ACCCidentifiesFlubotscamandcollaboratestodisruptthescam 
 ACCCandtheScamsAwarenessNetworkimproveoutcomesfor
victimsofidentitycompromise 
 Strongermeasuresintroducedintelcosectortotacklephonescams
 ACCCadvocateswithfinancesectorandregulatorstoaddressscams 
 TheACCCsharesscammerintelwiththeUSFederalTradeCommission 
 ACCCfocusesondigitalplatformsandcommencesproceedingsagainstMeta 
 Scamwatchincreasesthescamreportdataitshareswiththeprivatesector 
Targeting scams
 ScamsAwarenessNetwork
 Scamwatchmediasocialmediaandawarenessraising 
 ScamsAwarenessWeek–governmentandprivatepartners 
Appendix Breakdownofscamcategoriesbyreportsandreportedloss
Appendix ScamlossesbyStateorTerritory 
Appendix ScamReportsfromBusinesses
Glossary 
Targeting scams
Losses
286,622
reports to Scamwatch
$324 million
Amount reported lost to
Scamwatch
84% since 2019
84%
33%
2019
$143 m
2020
$176 m
2021
$324 m
Average loss: $12,742
$701 million
combined losses to
investment scams
$227 million
lost to payment
redirection scams
$142 million
combined losses
to romance scams
Top 3 scams causing the most financial harm
to Australians in 2021
216,087 reports in 2020
* Research shows that a third of scam victims do not report so the true cost is well over $2 billion.
$2+ billion
*
Total combined losses reported to Scamwatch, ReportCyber,
12 financial institutions and government agencies
Targeting scams
Targeting scams
Top scams by loss as reported to Scamwatch
Investment scams
$177 million
Dating &
romance scams
$56 million
False billing
$17 million
Threats to life,
arrest or other
$11 million
Remote access
scams
$16 million
Online shopping
scams
$8 million
Classified scams
$7 million
Lost to hacking
$3 million
Identity theft
$10 million
Phishing scams
$4 million
Age
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Reports
Losses
0.9%
6.6%
17.9%
19.5%
17.4%
16.9%
20.7%
0.1%
4.3%
13.5%
16.0%
19.2%
19.7%
27.3%
Under 18
Losses: $366,000
Reports: 1,984
18-24
Losses: $13 m
Reports: 14,834
25-34
Losses: $40 m
Reports: 39,954
35-44
Losses: $48 m
Reports: 43,527
45-54
Losses: $58 m
Reports: 38,893
55-64
Losses: $59 m
Reports: 37,644
65+
Losses: $82 m
Reports: 46,286
Targeting scams
Female
$131 million
142,092 reports
40% of losses
Male
$190 million
138,591 reports
59% of losses
Non-specified
$2 million
5,939 reports
1% of losses
Gender
Top contact methods by reports
50%
Phone
144,603 reports
$100 million
reported lost
23%
Text message
67,180 reports
$10 million
reported lost
14%
Email
40,186 reports
$48 million
reported lost
4%
Internet
12,502 reports
$51 million
reported lost
4%
Social networking/
online forums
10,140 reports
$56 million
reported lost
Targeting scams
The role of Scamwatch
Scamwatch(wwwscamwatchgovau)isrunbytheAustralianCompetitionandConsumerCommission
(ACCC)EstablishedinitsprimarygoalistomakeAustraliaahardertargetforscammersTo
achievethisweraiseawarenessabouthowtorecogniseavoidandreportscamsWealsoshare
intelligenceandworkwithgovernmentlawenforcementandtheprivatesectortodisruptand
preventscams
TheACCCoutlinesitsapproachtoscamseachyearinitsComplianceandEnforcementPolicyIn
thepolicy
states
TheACCCgovernmentagenciesandtheprivatesectorworktogethertoprevent
AustraliansfromfallingvictimtoscamsTheACCCdoesthisby
analysingdatacollectedthroughScamwatchtoidentifytrendsmonitorfinanciallossesand
informourscampreventionstrategies
informingthepublicaboutcurrentandemergingscamsthroughourScamwatchwebsite
socialmediaandengagementwork
partneringwithgovernmentandtheprivatesectortoreducescamopportunities
byenhancingconsumerprotectionsanddisruptingscamactivitythroughtheuseof
telecommunicationservicesfinancialservicesandothertechnologyservicesincluding
digitalplatforms
TheACCCfocusesonscamsdisruptionandpreventiontominimiseharmtoAustraliansAsmost
scammerstargetingAustraliansarebasedoverseasitisdicultforregulatorssuchastheACCCor
evenlawenforcementagenciestotrackthemdownandactagainstthem
 ACCCComplianceandEnforcementPolicyandPrioritieshttpswwwacccgovauabout-usaustralian-
competition-consumer-commissioncompliance-enforcement-policy-and-priorities
Targeting scams
Notes on data in this report
ThedatainthisreportisfromthecalendaryearJanuarytoDecemberAllcasestudiesare
adjustedtoprotecttheprivacyofreporters
ExceptwherespecifiedalldataisbasedonphoneandwebreportsmadetoScamwatchScamwatch
datamaybeadjustedthroughouttheyearbecauseofqualityassuranceorchangestocategories
Whileeortismadetoverifyhighlossreportsreportsareunverified
ReferencetocombinedreportsorlossesincludedatafromScamwatchReportCyberother
governmentagenciesandfinancialinstitutionsWehavemadeallreasonableeortstoavoidcounting
reportsorlossesmultipletimesbutweacknowledgesomemultiplecountingofreportsorlosses
mayremain
ThisreportcontainsdataextractedfromReportCyberanonlinereportingportalforcybercrimes
administeredbytheAustralianCyberSecurityCentre(ACSC)whichisbasedwithintheAustralian
SignalsDirectorate(ASD)
TheACSCtriagesreportsandreferssometotheappropriatelaw
enforcementjurisdictionforinvestigation
Wethankallcontributingorganisationsfortheirparticipationandcooperationintheproduction
ofthisreportTheAustraliaandNewZealandBankingGroup(ANZ)CommonwealthBankof
Australia(CommonwealthBank)NationalAustraliaBank(NAB)WestpacBankingCorporation
(Westpac)BendigoandAdelaideBankSuncorp-MetwayLimited(Suncorp)MacquarieBankLimited
(Macquarie)BankofQueenslandLimited(BOQ)HSBCBankAustraliaLimited(HSBC)INGGroup
(ING)MoneyGramInternational(MoneyGram)andTheWesternUnionCompany(WesternUnion)all
contributeddatatothisreport
httpswwwcybergovauacscreport

Targeting scams
. Scam activity in 
 Key statistics 
ScamwatchReportCyberothergovernmentagenciesbanksandmoneyremittersreceiveda
combinedtotalofoverreportswithreportedlossesofalmostbillioninOne
thirdofvictimsdonotreportscams
soactuallosseswerewelloverbillion
InvestmentscamscausedthemostfinanciallosswithcombinedlossesofmillionThiswas
followedbypaymentredirection
withmillionlostandromancescamswithmillionlost
OnlyofvictimsreporttotoScamwatchInScamwatchreceivedreportsa
increasefromthereportsreceivedin
FinanciallossesreportedtoScamwatchtotalledmorethanmillioninThisisanincrease
ofcomparedtothemillioninlossesreportedin
Investmentscamsandromancescamscontinuedtocausethemostfinanciallossmillionwas
reportedlosttoinvestmentscamsandmilliontoromancescams
Scamwatchreceivedthemostreportsaboutphishingscams(reports)Thiswasa
increaseonthenumberofthesereportsin(reports)whichwasaincreaseon
thenumberofreportsin(reports)
()ofpeoplereportedafinanciallosstoScamwatchforanaveragelossof
people()reportedlossofpersonalinformation
ResearchcommissionedbytheACCCinfoundthatofpeoplehavebeenexposedtoa
scaminthelastyearswithhalfofthesecontactedweeklyordailybyscammers
ofvictimsdonotreportthescamtoanyone
 The contact and payment methods
Phone(voice)continuedtobethemostcommoncontactmethodreportedtoScamwatchin
withreports(ofallreports)millionwasreportedlosttophonescamswhich
representsandwasthehighestlosscontactmethod
Textmessagewasthesecondmostcommoncontactmethodwithreportsupby
from
Thesecondhighestcontactmethodintermsoflosswassocialmedia
withmillionlost(of
totallosses)
Banktransfercontinuedtobethemostcommonpaymentmethodforscamswithmillion
reportedlostupcomparedtothemillionreportedin
Morescammersareseekingpaymentwithcryptocurrencyandlossestothispaymentmethod
increasedtomillion
 SeesectionformoredetailsabouttheACCC’scommissionedresearchonunreportedscamactivity
 Paymentredirectionscamsareoftenreferredtobygovernmentandlawenforcementasbusinessemailcompromise
millionreferstobusinessemailacompromiseaswellassomeotherscams
 Wenotethatthefieldselectedinresponseto‘Howwereyoucontactedbythescammer’ontheScamwatchreportformis
‘socialnetworkingonlineforum’
 Inthecategoryforcryptocurrencywasonly‘Bitcoin’The‘otherpayment’methodalsoincludessomecryptocurrency
reportssothefigureislikelyhigher‘Otherpayments’totalmillionInMarchthecategory‘Bitcoin’waschanged
tocryptocurrency

Targeting scams
 The people who have lost money
Peopleagedandovermadethemostreports()toScamwatchandlostmoremoneythan
anyotheragegroupwithalmostmillionreportedlostLossesincreasedwithage
Lossesreportedbymenincreasedfrommillionintomorethanmillionin
Womenreportedaincreaseinlossesfrommillionintomorethanmillion
in
Menreportedlosingtwiceasmuchmoneytoinvestmentscamsthanwomen(Menlost
millionandwomenlostmillion)Menreportedlosingmoneytoromancescamsmore
oftenthanwomenbutwomenlostmoreintotaltothesescamsthanmen(womenlostmillion
andmenlostmillion)
PeoplefromNewSouthWalesmadethemostreports()andlostthemostmoneywith
millioninreportedlossesPeopleintheAustralianCapitalTerritorylostmoremoneytoscams
onapercapitabasis
ScamwatchreceivedreportsfromIndigenous
reporterswithmillionreportedlostThis
representsaincreaseinreportsandincreaseinlossesYoungerIndigenouspeoplelost
moremoneycomparedtoolderpeoplewhichwasadierenttrendfromthetotalreports
IndigenouspeopleinQueenslandlostthemostmoneywithmillionreportedlost
Peoplefromculturallyandlinguisticallydiverse(CALD)communitiesmadereportsand
lostmillionwhichwasanincreasecomparedtoThemedianlossforpeoplefrom
CALDcommunitieswashigherthanfortheoverallmedianacrossallreporters(vs)
ScamsovermobileappsresultedinthemostlossesforCALDcommunitieslargelyduetotheHope
Businessappscams
Scamwatchreceivedreportsfrompeoplewithdisabilitywithmorethanmillionin
lossesThiswasalmostdoublethereportsandlossesreportedin
 The businesses which have lost money
Paymentredirection(businessemailcompromise)isthescamthatcausedthehighestlossesto
businesseswithcombinedlossesofmillioninBusinessesreportedmoreofthesescams
toReportCyberandthebanks
FinanciallossreportedtoScamwatchbybusinessesfellbyintomillionfrom
millioninThenumberofreportsmadebybusinessesfellbyto
Businessesreportedthemostlossestofalsebillingscams(whichincludesmanypayment
redirectionreports)withmillionreportedlostandinvestmentscamswithmillionlost
Smallbusinesseshadthehighestmedianlossofandlostatotalofmillion
 The scams
Investmentscams
Combinedlossestoinvestmentscamsinclimbedtomillion
Scamwatchreceivedoverreportsaboutinvestmentscamswithmillionlostandmadeup
ofthetotallossesreportedin
Themaindriveroftheincreasewascryptocurrencyinvestmentscamswhichincreasedinlosses
byinScamwatchreceivedcryptocurrencyinvestmentscamswithmillionin
reportedlosses
Scamwatchreceivedreportsaboutimposterbondscamswithmillioninreportedlosses
 TheScamwatchwebformdoesnotspecifyIndigenous‘Australian’thereforesomereportsarereceivedfrompeoplewho
areIndigenousinothercountries

Targeting scams
PonziscamsandpyramidschemesincreasedinScamwatchreceivedoverreportswith
almostmillioninlossesanincreaseofcomparedtoManyofthesescamsimpacted
youngerpeopleandthosefromCALDcommunities
TheACCCreceivedreportsabout‘HopeBusiness’and‘WonderfulWorld’appscamsthatwere
spreadonFacebookandWhatsApp
Flubotscam
InAugustAustraliansbeganreceivingtextmessagesconcerningmissedpackagesand
voicemailsescalatingintothelargestscamtextmessagecampaigninAustralia’shistory
FromAugust–DecemberScamwatchreceivedreportsaboutFlubottextmessageswith
inreportedlossesManymorepeoplemayhaveexperiencedindirectlossfromcompromise
oftheirpersonalinformation
Remoteaccessscams
Combinedlossestoremoteaccessscamsweremillionin
Scamwatchreceivedoverreportsaboutremoteaccessscamswithaincreaseinlossesto
overmillionin
Scammersadaptedtheirmethodologytofrightenvictimsintodownloadingremoteaccesssoftware
andsetupaccountsoncryptocurrencyexchangesTheyalsomovedtoSMSaswellasphonefor
initialcontact
ThesescamscontinuedtoimpactolderAustraliansmorethanotherswiththoseagedandover
losingthemostmoney(million)
ThecontinuedimpactofCOVID-
ScamreportsthatmentionedCOVID-fellinwithreportsreceivedandmillionin
reportedlosses
ReportstoScamwatchaboutGovernmentimpersonationscamsfelltobutlosses
increasedtoovermillion
ScamwatchreceivedoverreportsrelatedtoCOVID-vaccinationsofthesementioned
rapidantigentestswithinreportedlosses
ReportsaboutpetscamsincreasedbytoinwithovermillionreportedlostThe
majorityoftheserelatedtopuppiesandkittens
Agriculturescams
Australianfarmersandsmallbusinesseslostovermilliontoscammerstargetingtheagriculture
industryin
ThemostcommonscamwasfakeonlinesalesforheavymachinerytractorsScamwatchreceived
reportsaboutthesaleoftractorsandagriculturalmachinerywithmillionlost
 The fight against scams
IntheACCCincreaseditsworkwithothergovernmentagencieslawenforcement(inAustralia
andoverseas)toshareintelligencedisruptscamsandraiseawarenessinthecommunity
TheACCCcollaboratedwithotheragenciestheAustralianCyberSecurityCentretheAustralian
FederalPoliceandthemajorbanksandtelecommunicationsproviderstocombattheFlubotSMS
scamAninternationaleortincludingwiththeAustralianFederalPoliceledtoaEuropoloperation
disruptingtheFlubotinfrastructurerenderingthestrainofmalwareinactiveinJune
TheACCCworkedwiththeDepartmentofHomeAairsandstateandterritorylicensingauthorities
tomakeitmoredicultforcriminalstouselostorstolendriverlicencesandlesschallengingfor
victimstorecoverfromidentitycrime

Targeting scams
TheACCCcontinueditsworkwithothergovernmentagenciesandthetelecommunicationsindustry
ontheAustralianCommunicationandMediaAuthority(ACMA)ledScamsTelecommunications
ActionTaskforceKeyoutcomesininclude
– the new Reducing Scam Calls Industry Code and the increased use of call blocking to disrupt
phone scammers with over 357 million scam calls blocked in the first year
– a significant reduction in mobile porting scams following the introduction of the
Telecommunications (Mobile Number Pre-Porting Additional Identity Verification) Industry
Standard 2020
– ongoing development of measures to prevent sim swap fraud and improve identity verification for
all high-risk transactions in the telco sector
– work on measures to require telcos to monitor and block malicious scam SMS messages.
Scamwatchsharedthousandsoftelephonenumbersprovidedinscamreportswiththetelcosand
theACMAeveryweektoassistthemtoidentifyscamcalltracanddisruptscammers
TheACCCcontinuedtoworkwiththefinancialsectortoshareinformationaboutscamsIn
ScamwatchexpandeditsinformationsharingthroughtheAustralianFinancialCrimesExchange
whichsupportsthebankstoidentifyscamsscammeraccountsandblocktransactions
InthebanksandfinancialinstitutionsthatprovideddataforthisreporttoldtheACCCthat
theypreventedorrecoveredmorethanmillionfrombeingsenttoscammersandrefunded
morethanmilliontocustomerswhowerethevictimsofscams
TheACCCmetregularlywithpaymentsystemprovidersfinanceandbankingindustrybodies
banksASICtheAFCAandothersinthefinancialsectortosharescamtrendslearnaboutinitiatives
topreventscamsandencourageinitiativestoreducethelossestoscamsinAustralia
TheACCCcontinuedtomonitorinitiativesoverseasandadvocateformorescamprevention
measuresinthefinancialsystemincludingtheUnitedKingdom’srequirementsforConfirmationof
PayeeintheAuthorisedPushPaymentScamsContingentReimbursementModelCode
InScamwatchincollaborationwithNBNCoworkedwithTeamViewertosignificantlyreduce
thenumberofremoteaccessscamsusingTeamViewersoftwaretoscamvictimsTeamViewer
introducedtechnicalsolutionsandworkedwithanumberofbankstosuccessfullyreduceremote
accessscamsusingthatplatform
TheACCCcontinuedtoadvocatefordigitalplatformstotakemoreactiontoaddressscamsIn
MarchtheACCCcommencedproceedingsintheFederalCourtagainstFacebookownerMeta
PlatformsIncandMetaPlatformsIrelandLimitedallegingthattheyengagedinfalsemisleadingor
deceptiveconductbypublishingscamadvertisementsfeaturingprominentAustralianfigures
IntheACCCrecognisedtheincreaseinvulnerablepeoplereportingfinanciallossoridentity
compromisetoScamwatchandprovidedmoretailoredreferralsforvulnerablescamsvictimsto
supportservicesincludingIDCARE
TheACCCcontinuedtoexpanditssharingofScamwatchdatawiththeprivatesectorincluding
forexamplethefollowingbusinessesinGumtreeFacebookSeekMoneyGramLinkedIn
NBNCoAutotraderCoinspotAfterpayAmazonandMicrosoft
TheACCCcommencedsharingscammerintelligenceinScamwatchreportswiththeUSFederal
TradeCommissionforsharingacrosscountriesthroughtheConsumerSentinelNetwork
Scamwatchprovidedmorethandisseminationsofscamreportsonhighriskorcurrentscam
trendstolawenforcementandgovernmentThisintelligenceassistedstateandfederalpolice
toinvestigateandinsomeinstancesprosecutescammersPolicewereableinvestigatecharge
andorarrestindividualsinvolvedinmoneymulingringsroofingscamspuppyscamsidentitytheft
investmentscamsandphonescamsimpersonatinglawenforcementorbanks
ScamwatchprovidedFlubotURLstotheAustralianCyberSecurityCentretofacilitatewebsite
removalrequestsonoccasions
From–NovembertheACCCledtheScamsAwarenessWeekcampaignwhichwassupportedby
overpartnerorganisationsThecampaignencouragedthepublictoStopScamsSpeakUpand
reachedanestimatedmillionpeople

Targeting scams
BytheendofScamwatchhadsubscriberstoitsemailalertserviceandpublished
mediareleaseswarningthepublicaboutscams
TheScamwatchwebsitehadovermillionpageviewsinandtheACCC’sLittleBlackBookof
ScamswasviewedtimesanddownloadedtimesWedistributedhardcopies
IntheScamwatchTwitteraccount(@Scamwatchgovau)postedtweetsandbytheend
ofhadafollowingofover
InJunetheACCCreleaseditsTargetingScamsreportwhichwasviewedtimesand
downloadedtimes
IntherewasanincreaseindemandforinformationaboutscamsandtrendsTheACCC
respondedtohundredsofmediarequestsACCCDeputyChairDeliaRickardappearedonmany
televisionandradioprogramspromotingscamsawarenessandsharingtipsonhowpeoplecan
protectthemselvesfromscams
TheACCC’sIndigenousoutreachteamsvisitedBagotCommunityBelyuenCommunityKnuckey
LagoonandPalmerstonIndigenousvillageinwhereamongotherthingsstaprovided
informationandrespondedtoconcernsaboutscams
Scamwatchstapresentedatmanyforumsinincludingbutnotlimitedto
– Multicultural Australia
– ASEAN consumer aairs program webinar
– ATO CALD community leader network
– QPS Gold Coast cross cultural liaison unit
– Police ethnic advisory group
– Australian Prudential regulation association
– ACSC partnership network
– UNSW Canberra cyber
– National Disability Insurance Agency
– Canterbury Bankstown city council
– Australian Financial Industry Association
– Global Online Scams Summit
– Victoria Teachers Association
– Department of Health
– AusPost
– Lendlease
– AMP
– National Australia Bank (podcast)
– Dept of Education Skills & Employment (podcast).
ExamplesofworkinggroupsandnetworksScamwatchparticipatedin
– Counter Fraud Reference group – Cth Fraud Prevention Centre
– Cyber Security & Safety Communications Working group(Home Aairs led)
– GASA International law enforcement working group
– CJLEF
– Operation Ashiba (AFP led)
– ReportCyber Project Board
– Consumer Education Network
– Disability Royal Commission
– Interdepartmental Committee – National Plan to Combat Cybercrime
– Scams Telecommunications Action Taskforce (ACMA led)
– Inter Regulator Fraud Group (ASIC led)
– Scams Awareness Network (ACCC led)

Targeting scams
– Online harms industry and international engagement working group
– Home aairs cyber security outreach network
– Fintel Alliance
– IDCARE working Group (Home aairs led)
– NICS
– RoundTable on remote access scams with Teamviewer, banks and telcos.

Targeting scams
. Scam activity in 
 Combined data – the bigger picture
TobetterunderstandtheimpactofscamactivityinAustraliatheACCCobtainedscamdatafrom
financialinstitutionsaswellasReportCybertheAustralianTaxationOce(ATO)ServicesAustralia
theAustralianSecuritiesandInvestmentsCommission(ASIC)WAScamNetandtheAustralian
CommunicationsandMediaAuthority(ACMA)
ThecombinedlossesreportedtoScamwatchandtheseotherorganisationsinwasalmost
billionacrossreportsTakingintoaccountthelevelofunreportedscamactivitytheACCC
estimatestheactualleveloffinanciallosstobewelloverbillionScamwatchreceivedthelargest
numberofreports
Table 2.1 Losses reported to all agencies and banks
Agencyorganisation Reports Losses
Scamwatch 286,622 $324m
ReportCyber 62,349 $766m
12 banks & money remitters 146,198 $499m
ATO 50,684 $800,000
Services Australia 7,6 74 N/A
WA ScamNet 2,526 $14m
ACMA 16,494 N/A
ASIC 3,866 $291m
AFCA 3,257 N/A
Adjustments for duplications* -13,022 - $131m
Total 566,648 $1.76 billion
*Note Thesetotalshavebeenadjustedtotakeaccountofduplicationswherethesameincidenthasbeenreportedto
multipleagencies
ThecombinedlossdatahighlightsthescamsthatcausedthemostfinancialharmtoAustralians
inThehighestlosscategorywasinvestmentscamswithmillionlostThiswasfollowedby
millionlosttopaymentredirection(businessemailcompromise)Romancescamsandremote
accessscamsalsocausedsignificantlosses
Table 2.2 Combined losses by category reported to all agencies and banks
Scamtype Scamwatch ReportCyber Banklosses ASIC AdjustedTotal
Investment scams
$177m $306m $219m $58m $701m
Payment redirection $13m $94m $121m N/A $227m
Romance scams $56m $51m $48m $7m $142m
Remote access scams $16m $12m $106m N/A $112m
 The impact of scams and unreported scam activity
ACCCresearch
IntheACCCcommissionedresearch
tobetterunderstandtheimpactofscamsandlevelof
unreportedscamactivityTheresearchhighlightedthatexposuretoscamsisalmostubiquitous
Theresearchfindingsrelatedtokeyareaspeoplewhoencounteredscams(bothvictimsandalso
 Thesetotalshavebeenadjustedtotakeaccountofduplicationswherethesamelosshasbeenreportedto
multipleagencies
 surveyswerecompletedonlineusingtheRoyMorganConsumerPanelThedatawasweightedtorepresentthe
Australianpopulationagedyearsorolder

Targeting scams
non-victimswhorecognisedavoidedthescams)aswellaspeoplewhowerevictimsofscamsKey
findingsoftheresearchincluded
ofrespondentswerecontactedorexposedtoscammersinthelastyearsHalfofthesewere
contactedweeklyordaily
ofpeoplewereavictimofascaminthepastyearsonethirdofthesewereavictimmore
thanonce
ofvictimsdidnotrecoveranymoneylost
ofvictimslosttheiridentityorpersonalinformation
ofvictimsdidnotreportittoanyone
Ofthosevictimswhodidnotreportdidnotreportbecausetheythoughtnothingcould
bedone
ScamwatchwasthemostcommongovernmentreportingservicewherevictimsreportedascamIn
termsofscamvictims
reportedtoabank
reportedtopolice
reportedtoScamwatch
TheresearchalsofoundthatpeoplewhospokealanguageotherthanEnglishandlow-incomeearners
(korless)weremorelikelytobeavictimofascamthanothers
Menweremorelikelytoloselargeramountsofmoneywhenscammedandwomenweremorelikelyto
losetheiridentityorpersonalinformationwhenscammed
Whenincludingallofthoserespondentswhoencountered

ascam(bothvictimsandnon-victims)
ofpeoplediscusseditwithfriendsorfamilydidnotreportthescamtoagovernmentorlaw
enforcementagencyThemostcommonplacesvictimsandnon-victimsreportedincluded
reportedtoabank
toScamwatch
topolice
tosocialmediaplatformswebsite
Themainreasonspeoplegaveforreportingscamswastostopscammers()informauthorities
()andhelpothers()
Theresearchalsoassistedinhelpingidentifywhatiseectiveinhelpingpreventpeoplefallingfor
scamsThesurveyaskedparticipantstoidentifywhytheywereabletoavoidfallingforscamsthey
encounteredwithofpeoplerespondingthattheyhadseenwarningsaboutthescamParticipants
alsoidentifiedwheretheysourcedtheirinformationaboutscams
fromthemedia
fromtheInternet
fromScamwatchgovau
Thisresearchhighlightstheimportanceofcontinuingtoincreaseinitiativesthatraiseawarenessand
educatethepublictopreventscams
 Thiswillincludeallpeoplewhoencounteredorwereexposedtoascam–victimsandnon-victims

Targeting scams
Otherresearch
TheACCC’sresearchisconsistentwithresearchfindingsbytheACMAin

whichfoundthatin
themonthsbeforethesurveyofAustraliansreceivedsomeformofunsolicitedcommunication
withthemajoritybeingcallsphonecalls()Scamswerethemostcommontypeofunsolicited
communication()ofpeopleexperiencedscamcallsweekly
SimilarlytheAustralianBankingAssociationpublished

datainthatshowedthatof
AustralianslostmoneytoascamorknewaclosefriendorfamilythathadofAustraliansfendoa
scameveryweekandeverydayofAustralianadultshadbeenexposedtoascamorfraudin
thepastyear
 Scamwatch statistics in 
TheACCCreceivedscamreportsinwithreportedlossesofmillionReports
increasedbycomparedtoandfinanciallossesincreasedby
Table 2.3 Losses and number of reports by category
Scamcategory Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
Investment scams $17 7,1 8 4,2 9 5 9,664 4,068 (42.1%) 169.2%
Dating & romance scams $56,175,428 3,424 1,379 (40.3%) 44.4%
False billing $17, 3 03,66 5 21,545 1,881 (8.7%) -6.3%
Remote access scams $16,412,258 15,698 1,330 (8.5%) 94.4%
Threats to life, arrest or other $11,07 7, 5 51 32,426 658 (2.0%) -6.4%
Identity theft $10,159,930 22,354 951 (4.3%) 230.7%
Online shopping scams $8,074,469 20,694 7,436 (35.9%) 9.3%
Classified scams $7,114,830 9,561 3,080 (32.2%) 28.7%
Phishing $4,324,128 71,308 861 (1.2%) 156.0%
Hacking $3,041,484 15,141 547 (3.6%) 114.3%
Jobs & employment scams $2,697, 5 0 0 3,453 308 (8.9%) 112.6%
Travel, prizes and lottery scams* $1,984,215 4,976 322 (6.5%) 1.0%
Pyramid Schemes $1,341,389 487 215 (44.1%) 368.8%
Ransomware & malware $1,172,034 3,623 54 (1.5%) 1,482.2%
Rebate scams $1,145,112 2,046 132 (6.5%) 63.3%
Betting & sports investment scams $976,214 328 125 (38.1%) -1.0%
Inheritance and unexpected money* $923,256 1,831 150 (8.2%) -60.0%
Overpayment scams $841,060 2,027 315 (15.5%) 19.9%
Other scams $690,788 40,970 1,018 (2.5%) 80.8%
Health & medical products $372,014 1,588 289 (18.2%) -90.5%
Psychic & clairvoyant $358,501 187 89 (47.6%) 55.7%
Fake charity scams $188,457 835 101 (12.1%) 41.5%
Mobile premium services $165,139 2,456 102 (4.2%) 16.7%
Grand Total $323,723,717 286,622 25,411 (8.9%) 84.3%
*Note ScamwatchdataandcategoriesmaychangefromtimetotimeHighlightedcategorieswerecombinedinand
dataisacombinationofpreviouscategorieswhichconsistentlyreceivedverysmallnumbersofreports
 ACMAUnsolicitedcommunicationsinAustraliaConsumerexperienceresearch(Jan)interactivereport
httpsapppowerbicomview?reyJrIjoiNDgyMGIOTEtMDEMyNYxLWIOGYtZjIOTBiNTgwNDEyIiwidCIIjBkYW
MZjMLWQyMGMtNGUMSYWYzLTcxZWUZTIOGEyYiJ
 httpswwwausbankingorgauaba-launches-new-awareness-campaign-as-scams-grow

Targeting scams
Thescamswiththehighestreportedlossesinwereinvestmentscamsromancescamsandfalse
billingscams
Themostreportedscamcategorieswerephishingscamsthreatstolifearrestorotherand
identitytheft
Contactmethods
PhonecalltextmessageandemailwerethetopwaysscammerscontactedAustraliansin
PhonecontinuedtobethemostcommonwayscammerscontactvictimsReportsaboutphonescams
increasedtooverwiththemostreportedbeingphishing()andthreatstolifearrest
orother()Lossestophonescamsincreasedbytoovermillionduetohighlossesto
investmentscamsandremoteaccessscamswherecontactwasinitiatedbyphone
TextmessagescamreportsincreasedbytooverlargelyduetoFlubottextmessages
whichemergedinAugustandresultedinoverreportsaboutscamtextmessagesthat
monthLossestoscamsviatextmessagealsoincreasedtomillionThehighestlossesfortext
scamscamefrominvestmentscamsromancescamsandransomwareandmalware
Scammerscontinuedtousesocialmediaplatformstocontactpeoplewithreportsand
millionlostanincreaseinlossesofThemostreportedscamonsocialmediawasonline
shoppingwithreportsThehighestlossesweretoinvestmentscams(million)andromance
scams(million)Lossesalsoincreasedsignificantlyforidentitytheftandjobsandemployment
scamsoversocialmedia
Table 2.4 Contact mode reports and losses in 2020 and 2021
ContactMode Reports Reports Percentage
changein
numberof
reports
Reported
losses
Reported
losses
Percentage
changein
reported
losses
Phone 103,153 144,603 40% $48m $100m 108%
Text Message 32,337 67,1 8 0 108% $3m $10m 227%
Email 47,503 40,186 -15% $35m $48m 37%
Internet 13,636 12,502 -8% $27m $52m 94%
Social Networking 9,687 10,140 5% $27m $56m 107%
Mobile Apps 4,348 6,544 51% $22m $36m 67%
Mail 2,625 2,218 -16% 2m $2m 2%
In Person 1,814 1,773 -2% $11m $18m 62%
Fax 109 54 -50% $52,428 $8,182 -84%
Not provided 875 1,422 63% $63,372 $278,300 339%
Paymentmethods
InthehighestreportedlosseswereviabanktransfersBitcoin(cryptocurrency)andother
paymentsThe‘otherpayments’categoryincludescryptocurrenciesasidefromBitcoinsuchasUSDT
andEthereumaswellaschargestophonebillsAfterpayPayeerdigitalpaymentappssuchasGCash
andevengoodsanditemssentbutnotpaidforbyscammers

Targeting scams
Table 2.5 Payment methods, reports, and losses by highest loss
Paymentmethod Reports Losses
Percentagechangein
reportedlosses
Bank 10,315 $129m 32%
Bitcoin/cryptocurrency
13
3,021 $84m 217%
Other payment /cryptocurrency 3,203 $66m 175%
Cash 1,144 $14m 62%
Credit Card 5,315 $9m 7%
Money remitters
14
402 $6m 59%
Other gift cards
15
1,270 $4m 135%
PayPal 2,189 $3m 62%
Google Wallet 77 $1m N/A
iTunes gift card 303 $872,000 2%
Aus Post Load & Go prepaid debit 71 $105,000 -57%
Payment method not provided 259,312 $7m N/A
 Data from the financial sector
ScamwatchdatashowsthatmostscamtransactionswereundertakenviabanktransferEachyear
weobtaindatafromarangeoffinancialinstitutionsandmoneyremitterstoidentifythelevelofscam
activityreportedtothemandtheamountlostWeknowfromourresearchthatthemostcommon
placeavictimwillreportascamistotheirbanksothisdatahelpsustounderstandthebiggerpicture
Wealsoshareinformationwithfinancialinstitutionstodisruptscamsandraiseawareness
ThescamsthatcausedthehighestlossesasreportedtobanksisconsistentwithScamwatchandother
scamdataInvestmentscamscausedthemostsignificantlossinwithmillionreportedlost
Whatisclearfromthedataisthatbanksreceivedmorereportsaboutremoteaccessscamsandmuch
higherlossesthanwerereportedtoScamwatchwithreportsandmillionreportedlost
Table 2.6 Highest loss scams in 2021 reported to Banks & Money Remitters
Scamtype Reports Losses
Investment scams 16,903 $219m
Payment redirection & other 98,484 $121m
Remote access scams 24,983 $106m
Romance scams 5,828 $48m
u InfinancialinstitutionstoldtheACCCthattheypreventedorrecoverednearly
millionfromscammersInadditiontheyalsorefundedalmostmilliontocustomers
whowerevictimsofscams
Allbankspaymentplatformsandfinancialinstitutionsshouldhavededicatedteamstoinvestigate
potentialscamandfraudtransactionsandmanydoTheyshouldalsoinvestinscamsawareness
activitiesforstaandcustomersThisisimportantasonceapersonhassentmoneytoascammerit
isdiculttorecoverthefundsThisisparticularlysoifthefundsaresentoshoreWithnewpayment
methodsandfasterpaymenttransfersscammersmayhavealreadymovedmoneytodierentbank
accountsbythetimeavictimhasrealisedtheyaredealingwithascammerThereforeitisimportant
peopleunderstandtheymaybedealingwithascammerasquicklyaspossibletoreducethefinancial
impactofthescam
 InMarchtheACCCchangedthecategoryfromBitcointocryptocurrency
 WorldRemitWesternUnionMoneyGramMoneyTransferandUKASHSkrill
 IncludesGooglePlaySteamsupermarketgiftcardsandAmazongiftcards

Targeting scams
u CasestudyPaymentredirectioninpropertysettlementlost
SophiapurchasedaninvestmentpropertyShecontactedhersolicitorwhosentheranemail
fromthecorrectemailaddressinfactitwaspartofanemailchainsentfromthemwithdetails
ofthebankaccountandBSBtotransferthefundsthroughforsettlement
SophiaproceededtodooneoftransfersthroughdierentbanksThefirstwasoneof
throughheraccountwithBigBankAandtheotherofthroughherBigBankB
accountBothwereprocessedwithoutissueThethirdtransferwasthroughhermid-tierbank
Themid-tierbankdidnotproceedtheydetectedanissueandcalledSophiatheytoldherto
askthesolicitortoverifythepayeeaccountdetailsSophiacalledandthesolicitortoldherthat
thedetailsfromtheemailweretheincorrectSophiaimmediatelycontactedherBigbankswho
bothlaunchedinvestigations
AustralianFinancialCrimesExchange
TheAustralianFinancialCrimesExchange(AFCX)isanindependentnon-profitthatbringstogether
businessesgovernmentlawenforcementagenciesandindustrygroupstoprotectAustralian
consumersandbusinessesfromfinancialandcybercrimeinAustraliaItprovidesthesecurity
capabilitiestechnologyandintelligenceinacentralplatform
IntheAFCXcollecteddatafromparticipatingfinancialinstitutionswhichfoundthatmillion
wasexposedtoscamactivityacrosstransactionsConsistentwithScamwatchinvestment
remoteaccessandromancescamsdominatedandmadeupoftheamountlostbyvictims
CryptocurrencybecameasignificantenablerofscamsandtheAFCXsawincreasesinthenumber
andvalueofscamsRemoteaccessscamsmadeupthehighestnumberoftransactionsandsecond
highestintermsofvalueInvestmentscamswasthelowestintermsoftransactionsbuthighestinterms
ofvalue
AustralianFinancialComplaintsAuthority
TheAustralianFinancialComplaintsAuthority(AFCA)isanon-governmentorganisationproviding
freefairandindependenthelpwithfinancialdisputesTheirroleistoassistconsumersandsmall
businessestoreachagreementswithfinancialfirmsabouthowtoresolvetheircomplaintsAFCA
receivesawidevarietyofcomplaintsinvolvingscamsincludinginvestmentromanceinvoicehacking
telecommunicationsandAustralianGovernmentagencyscams(suchasthosepurportingtoinvolve
thepoliceorthetaxoce)Ifconsumersarenotsatisfiedwiththeresponsefromthebankorfinancial
firmtoascamreportorclaimtheycanlodgeacomplaintwithAFCA
AFCAcommencedreportingonscamsdatainOctoberSincethenAFCAsawscamcomplaints
increaseeachyearMostscamcomplaintsresolvedirectlybetweenfinancialfirmsandcomplainants
withoutcasemanagementForcomplaintsthatdonotresolvedirectlythemajorityresolveearlyin
casemanagementwithAFCA’sinvolvementtonegotiateandconciliateoutcomesacceptabletoboth
partiesAsmallpercentageprogresstoinvestigationwhereAFCAhasissuedapreliminaryassessment
orfinaldecision

In(complaints)ofAFCA’scomplaintsrelatedtoscamsThemonthlyaverage
scamcomplaintsreceivedinwascasesanincreaseoffromthemonthlyaveragein
(cases)ofcomplaintswereclosedinandofcomplaintswasinfavourofthe
complainantOvermillionwascompensated
Thebanks
AllbanksreportedanincreaseinscamactivityinTheANZreportedaincreaseinscamlosses
withremoteaccessandinvestmentscamsdrivingtheincreasesThiswasaconsistenttrendacrossthe
banksSimilarlyMacquarieBanksawdoublethecasesofinvestmentscamsandthevalueofattempts
wastimesmorethanthepreviousyearSuncorpreportedaboutscamcasespermonthon
 AFCAdecisionsareavailableathttpswwwafcaorgauwhat-to-expectsearch-published-decisions

Targeting scams
averageandhighlightedaincreaseinmonthlycasesofremoteaccessscamsandthemovementof
thesescamstodeviceslikephonesandtabletsHSBCandMacquarienotedahighernumberoflower
dollarvaluescamswithpurchaseandbuysellscamsonFacebookmarketplaceandGumtreeaswellas
puppyscamsprominent
Themostconsistenttrendrelatedtoinvestmentscamsandthegrowthofcryptocurrencyinvestment
scamsThiswasidentifiedasakeydriverinincreasinglosses
WestpachighlightedtheHopeBusinesspyramidscamswithlargenumbersofsmallvaluevictims
causinglargecasevolumesSimilarlytheCommonwealthBanknotedthatHopeBusinessscams(such
asWonderfulWorldStarlike)aectedseveralthousandCBAcustomersTheANZalsocontinued
todealwiththeramificationsoftheHopeBusinessAppnotingthevolumeofvictimsandmoney
movementmadeitachallengingissueforbanksThebanksnotedcloseworkwiththeACCC’s
Scamwatchinrespondingtothese
TheANZundertookseveralinvestigationsintoimposterbondscamswherecriminalsyndicateswould
impersonatelegitimateinvestmentfirmsandoerunsuspectingconsumersopportunitiestoinvestThe
minimumbuy-inforinvestorswereoftenaboveInmostcasesthequalityofpaperworkand
websitessupportingthescamwereofaveryhighqualityandweredicultforcustomerstoidentifyas
ascamThescammerswouldcontactviacoldcallfromoshorecallcentresRecipientaccountswere
generallyheldwithAustralianbankswiththecriminals’movingfundstodigitalwalletsanddisbursing
theproceedselsewheremakingrecoveriesdicult
 Data from government agencies and law
enforcement
ReportCyber–reportstolawenforcement
InAustraliavictimsofcybercrimecanreporttheincidenttoReportCyberaportaladministeredby
theAustralianCyberSecurityCentreandoverseenbytheAustralianSignalsDirectorateReports
aretriagedandreferredormadeavailabletopolicejurisdictionsinthestatesandterritoriesandthe
AustralianFederalPolice
ReportCybercoverscyberabuseonlinefraudonlineimageabuseidentitytheftcybersecurity
incidentsandransomwareormalware
InReportCyberreceivedscamreportswithmillioninlossesThiswasanincrease
ofinreportsandinreportedlossescomparedtoThehighestlossesweretoinvestment
scamswithlossesovermillionmillionwasreportedlosttopaymentredirectionscams
AustralianSecuritiesandInvestmentsCommission–investmentscams
TheAustralianSecuritiesandInvestmentCommission(ASIC)isAustralia’scorporatemarketsand
financialservicesregulatorItreceivesreportsofmisconduct(misconductreports)frommembers
ofthepublictheirrepresentatives(likelawyersaccountantsandotheradvisors)andother
stakeholdersMisconductreportsareusedtoidentifyareasofregulatoryconcernintheindustriesthat
ASICregulates
Somemisconductreportsarescamswiththeintentionoffraudulentlyobtainingmoneyandinformation
(likeidentitydetails)fromvictimsInASICreceivedscamreports

withreportedlosses
ofmillion

Thetopcategoriesbycasewereinvestmentscamscryptocurrencyscamsand
unlicensedconduct

Thetopcategoriesbylosseswereunlicensedconductinvestmentscamsand
cryptocurrencyscamsPeopleagedbetweentoreportedthemostcases()whiletheto
agegroupreportedthemostlosses()
 InofreportswerefromAustralianresidentsandfromoverseasresidentsTheoverseasnatureofvictimsand
scammerscanlimitactionavailabletoregulatorssuchasASIC
 ThereportedlossamounthasnotbeenconfirmedorotherwiseverifiedbyASIC
 Membersofthepublicmayreportscammersaspeopleoperatingwithoutafinanciallicense

Targeting scams
Closetoreportsinvolvedcryptocurrency

thiswasoftotalscamcasesThereportedlosses
wereovermillionManycryptocurrenciesarenotfinancialproductsunderlawBecauseofthis
manycryptocurrenciesandtheplatformswhereconsumersbuyandsellcryptocurrencymaynotbe
regulatedbyASICandconsumersareunlikelytohaveprotectionsiftheplatformfailsorishacked
Whenacryptocurrencyorcryptocurrencyplatformfailsinvestorswillmostlikelyloseallthemoney
theyputinInmostcountriescryptocurrenciesarenotrecognisedaslegaltenderPeopleareonly
protectedtotheextentthattheyfitwithinexistinglaws

AustralianCommunicationsandMediaAuthority–phonescams
TheAustralianCommunicationsandMediaAuthority(ACMA)regulatescommunicationsandmedia
tomaximiseeconomicandsocialbenefitsofcommunicationsinfrastructureservicesandcontent
forAustralia
IntheACMAreceivedmorethancomplaintsabouttelemarketingandspamof
telemarketingcomplaintsandofspamcomplaints(overall)werecategorisedasscam
complaintsFromAugustaboutofspamscamcomplaintsrelatedtoFlubotmessages
AustralianTaxationOce
TheAustralianTaxationOce(ATO)istheAustralianGovernment’sprincipalrevenuecollection
agencyItmanagesandshapesthetaxexciseandsuperannuationsystemsinAustraliaInthe
ATOreceivedscamreportsOfthosevictimslostjustovertoscammersThis
wasadecreaseinreportsandadecreaseinthenumberofclientswhopaidscammers()
from
TheATOsawadierenttrendtoScamwatchwithpeopleagedbetweenandlosingthemost
moneytotaxscams

TheATOsawaincreasetonearlyinpaymentsviagiftcardsforuse
inAustralianstoreswithyoungpeoplepayingthemost
TheATOalsoobservedseveralconcerningnewscamtrendsin
Ariseinpeoplelosingmoneytoautomatedphonescamsaboutsuspendedtaxfilenumbersdueto
illegalactivity
Scammerscallingandemailingpeoplepretendingtobefinancialadvisersandsuperannuation
expertsScammersencouragedpeopletoinvestinahighperformingself-managedsuperfundso
theycouldharvestpersonalinformationandstealtheirsuperannuationsavings
InearlyscammersemailedpeopletoupdatetheirmyGovormyGovIDdetailsviaafakemyGov
logonpagedesignedtostealpersonalinformationincludingpassportanddriverslicencedetails
Duringtaxtimetherewasariseinpeoplelosingmoneytoscamsthroughdierentpayment
methodssuchasCardlesscashColesMyerKmartandJB-Hifigiftcardscourierserviceswho
collectcashpaymentsandin-personcashdeliverypayments
TherewasaresurgenceofanATOImpersonationemailscamadvisingpeopletheyweredueto
receivearefundTheemailcontainedanattachmentthatenticedpeopletoentertheirpersonal
informationandfinancialdetailsintoafraudulentwebsitetoreceivetheir‘refund’
 ThisanalysisisbasedonaKeyTermofCryptocurrencyattachedtocasesthatinvolvesuchproductsWhilethecase
involvescryptocurrencythescamcategorymaybedierentsuchasInvestmentscams
 httpsmoneysmartgovauinvestment-warningscryptocurrencies
 In–yearoldsmadereportstoScamwatchwithalmostmillionlostThiswastheagegroupwiththe
lowestreportsandlosses

Targeting scams
u CasestudyATO–Inpersonpaymentmethods
IntheATOobservedscammersdemandingmoneythroughnewpaymentmethods
includingcourierservicescollectingcashpaymentsdirectlyfromscamvictimsandcash
deliveriesmadeinpersonatapre-determinedpubliclocation
Thenewmethodssuggestedthatscammerswereusinglocalmoneymulestocollectfundsin
Australiaandhighlightedapersonalsafetyriskforvictims
TheATOsawonescammerlureayoungwomanoutoflockdowninNewSouthWalestodrop
oincashatalocalhardwarestoreThescammerclaimedtobefromthe‘federal
police’andtoldthewomanhertaxfilenumberwascompromisedandthreatenedherwith
arrestThevictimhadsentphotocopiesofherdriver’slicenceandMedicarecardtothescammer
beforereportingthescammertotheATOandthepolice
AnotherreportcamefromaVictorianmanwhopaidtosomeonewhocollectedthe
cashfromhisfrontdoorThescammerdemandedpersonaldetailssuchashistaxfilenumber
addressandnameoverthephonebeforethehomevisitand‘guaranteed’thevictimwouldget
hismoneybackifhepaidupfront
TheATOissuedanurgentcommunitywarningaskinganyonewhohadpaidascammer
throughoneoftheabovemethodstoreportittopoliceandcontacttheirfinancialinstitution
immediately
ServicesAustralia
ServicesAustraliadeliversgovernmentpaymentsandservicesLiketheATOitisoftenimpersonatedin
scamsandreceivesreportsfromthepublicaboutscams
InServicesAustralia’sscamsandidentitytheftHelpdeskreceivedscamreportswhichwas
adecreasefromthereportedinvictimsreportedafinanciallossinThose
agedoroldermadethemostreports
DuringServicesAustraliareferreduniquegovernmentimpersonationscamsforinvestigation
monitoringordisruptioneortsThisincludedscamsviaphoneSMSemailandplatformssuch
asFacebook
ofthesescamscontainedamyGovthemeorreferencedmyGov
Themajority()werephishingemailsThesetypicallydirectedpeopletoafakemyGovsitebuiltto
capturefinancialandpersonalidentityinformation

Targeting scams
u CasestudyServiceAustraliaCOVIDVaxPayment
COVID-wasanattractivethemeforscamactivityInOctoberServicesAustraliawas
alertedtoanSMSscamtargetingthevaccinatedThemessagestatedthattherecipientwas
eligibleforaCOVID-disasterreliefpayment
RecipientswhoclickedonthelinkweredirectedtoasophisticatedfakeServices
Australiawebsite
ThemethodologyhighlightedcarefulplanningbymaliciousactorsTimedtocoincidewithlocal
eventsthelandingpageread
Thewording‘one-time’paymentandtheamountofwerecarefullyselectedtoalign
withtheeconomicresponsepaymentsadministeredbyServicesAustraliaatthestartof
thepandemic
ServicesAustraliacontinuedtoseeiterationsofthisscamwhichdemonstrateshowscammers
evolvetothecurrentever-changingenvironmenttotakeadvantageofstrugglingAustralians
WesternAustralianGovernment–ScamNet
WAScamNet

isrunbytheWesternAustralianDepartmentofMinesIndustryRegulationandSafety
Initreceivedscamreportswithreportedlossesofovermillion
 httpswwwscamnetwagovauscamnetHomehtm

Targeting scams
IDCARE
IDCAREsupportmembersofthecommunityacrossAustraliaandNewZealandwhohaveconcerns
abouttheiridentityorrelatedcybersecurity
InIDCAREreceivedcontacts(thisisupfrom)Aroundinofthese
clientswerereferredbyCommonwealthagenciesincludingScamwatchascasesimpacting
CommonwealthlegislationprogramsandoroencecategoriesThecostsofsupportingthese
Commonwealth-referredclientswerecoveredundertheCommonwealthagreementwithIDCARE
IDCAREidentifiedthefollowingtrendsinreportsin
Phonewasthemostprominentmethodchannelofscamactivity(representingofknown
compromisechannelsversusaroundSMSandemail)
AroundofthepeoplewhoengagedwithIDCAREexperiencedfurtheridentityoraccount
misusefollowinganinitialscamorcompromiseevent
TelstraAmazonandtheNBNwerethemostimpersonatedbrandsreported
Wheresocialengineeringwasusedbyscammerssuchasknowingthevictim’snameordateof
birththetimetakentodetectthescamwasmorethantimeslongerthanscammersnotusing
thesetechniques
IDCAREhighlightedthefinancialandpsychologicalimpactstovictimsofscamsandidentity
compromiseinincludingthefollowing
Theaveragevalueoflossestoscameventsreportedwas
AtthetimeofengagingIDCAREvictimsindicatedthatonlyofthesefundswererecovered
Thehighestlossesonaveragewererelationshipscamvictims(perevent)andinvestment
fraudvictims(perevent)
ApproximatelyofindividualswhoexperienceascamandwereregisteredwithIDCARE’s
specialisedcasemanagerspresentedwithsymptomsofdepressionanxietyorstress(DAS-scale)

asaresultofexperiencingthesecrimes
 DepressionandAnxietyStressScale–aitemself-reportinstrumentdesignedtomeasuretherelatednegative
emotionalstatesofdepressionanxietyandtensionstress

Targeting scams
. Scamwatch trends in 
 Investment scams
CombinedlossestoinvestmentscamsinwereovermillionScamwatchreceivedover
reportsaboutinvestmentscamswithovermillioninlosses–aincreaseinreportsand
analmostincreaseinlossescomparedwith
InvestmentscamsmadeupofthetotallossesreportedtoScamwatchin
Cryptocurrencyscams
Themaindriveroftheincreaseininvestmentscamswerecryptocurrencyinvestmentscamswhich
increasedinlossesbyinInScamwatchreceivedcryptocurrencyinvestment
scamswithmillioninreportedlosses
Thesescamsgenerallyinvolvescammerssettingupfakeinvestmentandcryptocurrencytrading
platformssometimesimpersonatinglegitimatewell-knownwebsitestostealmoneyfrompeople
lookingtoinvestincryptocurrencySomeluredpeopleintobuyingafakecryptowalletortrickedthem
intogivingawaytheirseedphraseforanexistingwalletOthersoeredtoassistpeopleunfamiliarwith
cryptocurrencybyremoteaccessingtheircomputerordevicetosetthemuponacryptocurrency
platformandthenstealtheirmoney
Lossestocryptocurrencyinvestmentscamswerehighacrossalmostallagegroupswiththoseaged
andoverlosingthemostmoney(million)closelyfollowedbythe–agegroupwith
millionlostMostofthesescamsoccurredfollowingcontactviaphoneorsocialmediaorinvolved
awebsite(internet)
Imposterbondscams
Scamwatchobservedanincreaseinreportsaboutimposterbondscamsinwithaspikein
NovemberScamwatchreceivedreportswithalmostmillionreportedlostasscammers
impersonatedlegitimatecompaniesandsoldfakehighyieldcorporateorgovernmentbonds
BondsareaninvestmentoptiondesignedtogenerateregularincomefortheinvestorThebuyer
givesthebondissuer(corporationorgovernment)aloanandispaidbacktheprincipleovertime
plusregularpaymentsofinterestGenerallylonger-termbondsproducehigheryieldsfortheinvestor
Buyingandsellingbondsquicklyusuallyresultsinloweryields
Scammersoftenpromisedhighyieldsforshortterminvestmentsanddirectedinvestorstosend
moneytoabankaccountthatwouldbemanagedontheirbehalfInmanycasesreportersnoted
theywerecontactedaftersubmittingqueriesoninvestmentcomparisonwebsitesandfeltpressured
intoinvesting
Ponzischemesandrelatedscams
IntherewasaincreaseinreportstoScamwatchandincreaseinlossesrelatingto
pyramidandponzischemeslargelyduetoponziinvestmentscamappsScamwatchreceived
overreportswithalmostmillioninlossestothesescamsThisincludesoverjobs&
employmentscamsinvestmentscamsandreportsofpyramidschemes
PonzischemesusefundscollectedfromnewinvestorstopayexistinginvestorsNorealinvestment
existsandtheseschemesinevitablycollapse
Unlikeotherinvestmentscamsthesescamsimpactedyoungerpeoplemorethanolderpeoplewith
thehighestlossesinthe–agegroupMostofthelossesresultedfromcontactoversocialmedia
followedbymobileapps

Targeting scams
ScamappslikeHopeBusinessandWonderfulWorlddroveasurgeinreportsaboutPonzischemes
throughoutUsersweretoldtheycouldmakecommissionsiftheyrecruitedtheirfriendsto
downloadtheappstooAppslikeHopeBusinessweremarketedtopeopletomakeextramoneywhile
doingeasyworkfromhomeTheyweretoldthemorepeopletheyrecruitedthemorecommissionthey
wouldmake
u CasestudyWonderfulWorldscam–lost
RudrareceivedarandommessagefromJennyandthentalkedregularlyoverWhatsApp
TheybecamegoodfriendsandJennysuggestedRudraearncommissionthroughacompany
calledWonderfulWorldRudracreatedanaccountandstartedearningcommissionWhen
hetriedtowithdrawthemoneyitfailedJennytoldhimtowithdrawsmallamountsof
ThenJennyaskedhimtoputinmoremoneytoincreasehislevelinthepyramidtoqualifyfora
higherwithdrawallimitSoRudratoppeditupwithAfterthisRudrawasthenunable
towithdrawanyandcustomercareviahisWhatsAppstartedgivinghimexcusesRudranoticed
thecompanywasde-registeringfromASICandrealisedhehadlostallhismoney
WhenanewuserfirstsigneduptheywouldseeacommissiongrowingintheiraccountButwhenthey
triedtowithdrawtheirmoneytheywouldbeblockedfromdoingsoOncemanypeopleinvestedinthe
schemethescammersdisappearedwiththemoney
Victimswereoftenrecruitedintotheseschemesviatheinternetorchatsitesandbyfriendsandfamily
memberswhogenuinelybelieveditwasagoodinvestmentopportunityPyramidandPonzischemes
disproportionatelyimpactedpeoplefromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgroundswithalmost
ofreportsandoveroflossesincomingfrompeoplewithEnglishasasecondlanguage
Ponzischemecasestudy–HopeBusinessApp
TheHopeBusinessappwaslaunchedaroundMayTheappwasascamandtook‘investments’
fromusersandclaimedtheywouldbepaiddividendsiftheycompletedtasksorgameswithintheapp
UserswereinitiallyabletowithdrawfundsTheywereencouragedtorecruittheirfamilyandfriendsto
theappbutwerelaterblockedfromwithdrawingtheirmoney
AfterreceivingreportsofaroundinlossestotheHopeBusinessapptheACCCwarned
consumersandalertedGoogleandAppleHopeBusinesswasquicklyremovedfromappstoresThe
ACCCalsosharedinformationaboutthisscamwithbanksinAustraliaThepolicearecontinuingto
investigatetheappandvictimscontinuetotrytorecovermoney
 Flubot SMS scam – largest SMS scam in Australia
ScamwatchwasoneofthefirstagenciestoidentitytheemergenceoftheFlubotscaminAustraliaafter
receivingreportsfromAugustManyAustraliansreceivedscamtextmessagesaboutmissed
callsordeliveriesScamwatchreceivedalmostreportsaboutFlubottextmessagesbetween
AugustandDecemberManypeoplelostpersonalinformationandwasreportedindirect
financialloss
FlubotisaformofmalwarethatoperatesonAndroidphonesthroughamaliciouslinkItishidden
throughanSMSmessagethattheuseropensleadingtoachainofsimilarmessagestopeopleonthe
person’scontactlisttopotentiallyputothersatriskThemalwarecanharvestthecontactlisttospread
tootherdevicesItcannotonlyinfectthedevicebutaccesspersonalinformationandbankingdata
Peoplewhoreceivedthetextmessageandgavepermissionswouldhavetheircontactlistsadded
tothelistofphonenumbersusedtodistributeFlubotFlubotmessageswerethensenttorandomly
selectednumbersonthelistTheinfectionalsoattemptedtostealbankingcredentialsbyinserting
‘overlays’whenusersattempttologintokeyAustraliansitessuchasbanks

Targeting scams
GovernmentlawenforcementandtheprivatesectorworkedtogethertocombatthisscamAn
internationaleortincludingwiththeAustralianFederalPoliceresultedinaEuropoloperation
disruptingtheFlubotinfrastructurerenderingthestrainofmalwareinactiveinJune

u CasestudyFlubotscam
‘IgotacallfromaladywhohadreceivedthelinkfrommyphoneandthoughtIwasthescammer
andtoldmethatshewasgoingtoreportmyphonenumbertothepoliceasmebeingthehacker’
Iwascontactedbythescammerthroughatextmessagethatprovidedalinktotrackmy
packageonlineIclickedonthelinkthatappearedtodownloadedtheDHLmobileexpressapp
onmyphoneItaskedforacoupleofpermissionstoaccessmyphoneandthenIcouldnotget
theapptoopenItriedtodeletetheappbutcouldnotIrebootedmyphonebacktofactory
settingsbutevenafterthatIreceivedmultiplecallsfrompeoplethathadbeengettingthesame
textmessagewiththelinkontheirphoneIgotthetextmessagefromothernumbersaswell
IcalledCrimeStoppersandtheytoldmetoreportthistoScamwatchandcontactmytelcofor
help
 Remote Access scams
RemoteaccessscamscontinuedtoincreaseinTotalcombinedlossestoremoteaccess
scamsweremillionScamwatchreceivedoverreportsaboutremoteaccessscamsan
increaseonwithovermillioninlossesalmostdoublethelossesfromthepreviousyear
Innearlyallinstancesofremoteaccesscontactwasfirstinitiatedbyphone
 httpswwweuropoleuropaeumedia-pressnewsroomnewstakedown-of-sms-based-flubot-spyware-infecting-
android-phones

Targeting scams
u CasestudyRemoteaccessscam–lost
MelaniehadbeenhavingissueswithNBNbroadbandatherhouseDuringthistimeMelanie
receivedacallfromascammercalledSeanclaimingtobeanNBNsecurityemployeeSeantold
Melanietoinstallsomesoftwareonthecomputertostopherbankaccountsbeinghackedand
saidsheneededtoconvertthemoneytocryptocurrencyMelaniehadexperiencedanissuewith
creditcardcompromiseafewweeksearlierUnderSean’sguidanceMelaniecreatedaseriesof
accountswithcryptocurrencyexchangesCoinspotandBlockchainSeanaccessedMelanie’s
privateemailandwasabletopasstheverificationstepsoncryptocurrencytransactionsand
usedtheemailaddresstoimpersonateMelanieTwotransactionsofeachwere
processedwithfundstransferredthroughthecryptocurrencyexchangesandthenthefunds
disappeared
OlderAustralianstendtobemoreimpactedbyremoteaccessscamsPeopleagedandoverlostthe
mostmoney(almostmillion)andmadethemostreportsPeopleunderarelessliketolosemoney
tothesescams
u CasestudyRemoteaccessandthreats–lost
MyrtleagedyearsoldreceivedaphonecallfromDavidadvisingthatshewasentitledtoa
rebateDavidaskedMyrtleforbankaccountdetailstocreditthemoneyDavidcontinued
tocallMyrtleandtoldhertheyhadincorrectlypaidarebateofwhichshehadtorepay
immediatelyortheATOandgovernmentwouldchaseherupandtakeallassetsandthehouse
ThescammersthenemailedahyperlinkthroughwhichtheytookcontrolofMyrtle’shome
computerInstructionsweresenttoherprinterfortelegraphictransfertoanoverseasbank
MyrtlewasscaredandsentmoneyshelostDavidandthescammerscontinuedtocall
Myrtleeverydayuntilherchildrenrealisedandreportedthescamtothepoliceandthebank
ScammersalsotrieddierentmethodssuchasinitiatingremoteaccessviaSMSVictimsreceiveda
textmessagefromascammerposingastheirbankoranonlineplatformsuchasAmazonorPayPal
advisingthattheiraccounthadbeenchargedforapurchaseThetextmessagepromptedthevictim
tocallanumberiftheywantedtodisputethechargeOnceonthephonethescammerwouldsend
one-time-pincodestothevictim’sphoneandaskthevictimtoreadthemoutto‘authorise’the
refundThesecodeswouldeithergivethescammeraccesstothevictim’sonlineaccountsorauthorise
transactionsfromtheirbankaccountorcreditcardScammerswouldsometimesrepeatthisprocess
ortimeswiththesamevictimuntilthevictimnoticedmoneycomingoutoftheiraccountand
realisedtheywerebeingscammed
u CasestudyRemoteaccessviaSMS–overlost
MaxreceivedatextmessageconfirmingapurchaseofanexpensivecamerafromhisAmazon
accountwithanumbertocallifhewantedtodisputethetransactionMaxhadnotpurchased
anythingsohecalledthenumberandspoketosomeonewhoclaimedtobefromAmazonThe
scammersaidthatinordertocancelthepurchaseofthecamerahewasgoingtosendMax
anothertextmessagecontainingadigitnumberandtoldMaxtoreadthenumberbacktohim
MaxfeltthatsomethingmightbeoHecheckedhisbankaccountandsawtherehadbeen
anotheramounttakenoutLaterthatnighthereceivedanotificationthathisAmazonpassword
hadbeenchangedandreceivedanemailconfirmingthepurchaseofanexpensivelaptopfrom
hisaccount
MaxreportedtheissuetoAmazonandhisbankandrealisedthatthedigitcodehehadgiven
tothescammerwashisAmazonone-time-passwordThisallowedthescammertogainaccess
toMax’saccountandspendmoneyusinghisbankaccount

Targeting scams
 Continuing impacts of COVID-
InscammerscontinuedtousetheCOVD-pandemictoperpetratescamsScamwatchreceived
reportsthatmentionedCOVID-andminreportedlosses
Governmentimpersonationscams
Governmentimpersonationscamsdecreasedinwithreportsdowntohoweverlosses
tothesescamsincreasedtoovermillion
Thesescamsrelyonfearintimidationandadesiretocomplywithauthoritytoconvincepeopleinto
partingwiththeirmoneyCommonlyimpersonatedgovernmentagenciesorbrandsinincluded
theAustralianTaxationOce(ATO)theAustralianFederalPolice(AFP)MyGov(ServicesAustralia)
theDepartmentofHomeAairsandtheAustralianBorderForce
Themostcommontypesofgovernmentimpersonationscamsseeninwerethreatstolifearrestor
otherphishingscamsandidentitytheft
AlmostofgovernmentimpersonationscamsinwereconductedbyphoneThemajorityofthe
remainingofreportslistedemailortextmessageasthecontactmethod
Commonfakegovernmentcampaignsincluded
MessagespurportingtobefromMyGovinvitingtherecipienttoclickalinktoclaima‘one-o
COVID-reliefpayment’Thelinktooktherecipienttoapageto‘verify’theirpersonalinformation
inordertoconfirmtheywereeligibleforthepayment
MessagesimpersonatingtheATOclaimingthattherecipientwassuspectedoftaxevasionand
askingthemtoclickalinktoprovidemoreinformationOnemessagecommonlyreportedread
‘ATOYouaresuspectedinTaxEvasionConnectyourcryptocurrencywallettoprovidetransaction
historypleasevisithttpsmygovauwallet-securityinfo’Iffollowedthislinkwasdesignedto
capturepersonalinformationwhichscammerscouldthenusetoimpersonatethevictimtoaccess
governmentbenefits
FacebookMessengerscamsinwhichvictimsweremessagedabouta‘COVIDreliefgrant’‘COVID-
reliefprize’or‘COVID-socialgrant’whichrequireda‘clearancefee’toaccessThescamsclaimed
thegrantswereforavarietyofgroupsincludingseniorshomebuyersmedicalbillsindividuals
startingtheirownbusinesscontinuingeducationandretireesInsomeinstancesthismessage
camefromthecompromisedFacebookaccountsoftherecipients’friends
Coldcallsstatingtherecipientwasentitledto–asCOVIDrelief(requiringextensive
personalidentificationinformationandclearancefeestoaccess)
ColdcallsclaimingthegovernmentwascancellingsuperannuationpoliciesduetoCOVIDand
requiringtherecipienttoprovidetheirpersonalandsuperannuationinformation
Textmessagesfrom‘GOV-AU’stating‘YouhavereceivedtheappointmentfortherddoseFor
moreInfovisithttpsvaccine-appointmentlink’
Vaccinescams
InScamwatchreceivedvaccinescamreportsOfthesereportsmentionedrapid
antigentestswithoverinreportedlosses
ScammerswereattunedtodevelopmentsinAustraliaThevaccinerolloutcommencedinJulyand
ScamwatchstartedreceivingvaccinereportsfromaroundAugustThefirstwaveofscams
involvedvictimsreceivingatextmessagewithalinkinvitingthemtosetuptheircovidpassportThe
linktookvictimstoasitethatmimickedtheMedicarewebsiteandwouldaskforpersonalandbanking
detailsForexample‘YourdigitalversionofCovid-Passportisavailablehttpscuttlybe-safe’
Thesecondwaveofvaccinescamsinvolvedscammerssendingmessagesinformingrecipientsthey
wereeligiblefortheir‘thirddose’priortotheannouncementoftheboosterprogramThesemessages
containedalinktoawebpagewhichcontainedmalware

Targeting scams
Scamwatchcontinuedtoreceivereportsofindividualslosingmoneyandidentityinformationtoscam
websitessellingfakeproofofvaccinationcertificatesCOVID-passportsorthatcreatefalsified
check-inpages
Thepublicwereoftenconfusedaboutwhatwasrealorfakeandreportedseverallegitimatetext
messagephonecallandemailsfromhealthfacilitiesandgovernmentagenciesthroughout
u CasestudiesVaccinescamreports
lost
Kamalareportedascammersellingdigitalvaccinepassportscertificatesandexemptioncards
onFacebookThescammerpushedpeopletopayforthepassportsonBlockchaincom
lost
EmilyreportedadoctorwhousedtheTelegramappandsaidhewouldgivepeopleacovid
vaccinationcertificatewithoutgivingthejab
Petscams
PetscamsincreasedinasaresultoflockdownsbutdespitelockdownseasingScamwatch
continuedtoseepetscamreportsincreasebyin
ScamwatchreceivedpetscamreportswithovermillioninreportedlossesThemostcommon
contactmethodreportedwasemailwhichalsohadthehighestlossesThemostcommonpetsused
inscamswerepuppiesfollowedbykittensScamwatchalsoreceivedreportsaboutawiderangeof
animalsincludingsnakesgoatsandferretsSomepetscamscanleadtosignificantlossaspeoplefeel
emotionallyattached
u ‘All I wanted was the puppy to be safe and healthy but that never happened’
(lost)
PetscamswillgenerallyadvertiseonfakewebsitessocialmediaorclassifiedsitesPeoplewon’tbe
abletoseethepetandafteritspaidforvictimswillbeaskedformoremoneybecauseofarangeof
problemsincludingtransportissuesillnessandneedforvaccinesThescammersgotoalotofeortto
convincepeoplethatthepetisbeingdelivered

Targeting scams
u CasestudyPetscam(ferret)
lost
‘IreachedouttoGaryfromaferretpagegrouponFacebookashehadferretsforsaleIsenthim
adepositofandhewasgoingtosenditviacourierButIhadnotheardofthecouriersoI
didnotagreeHesaidhewoulddelivertomeinpersonbutIsaidthatwouldbehardbecausehe
wouldneedaCOVIDpermittocomefromNSWtoVictoriaIsenthimforvaccinationsand
hemessagedaphotothattheywereatthevetsgettingvaccinatedHekeptmeuptodateashe
travelledandthensaidhiscarhadbrokendownIsenthimmoneyforitandthenhesaidhegot
pulledoverbyanimalcontrolandthatheneededsohecouldcontinueHesaidheshouldbe
therebypmAfterpmIcheckedonFacebookandnoticedhehadblockedmeonFacebook
I’verequestedmymoneybackfromPayPalwhichtheyarerefundingbutthisguyshouldbe
caughtforscammingpeople’
lost
‘IsawferretsforsaleonFacebookandreachedoutIhadtoorganisedeliveryfromSydneyto
MelbournethroughacourierTheytoldmePayPalwasn’tworkingsotheysentbankdetailsto
paytheThentheysaidtopaywithPayIdemaildetailsforanadditionalforacrateto
delivertheferretTheysentmeatrackingnumberThentheyaskedforanadditionaltopay
forvaccineattheairportwithadierentBSBandaccountnumberOnceImadethepayment
Ididn’treceiveanythingfurtherandnooneansweredattheshippingcompanyTheshipping
companywasfakeThepersononFacebookwouldnotrefundmeItoldthemIwasgoingto
policeandtheythenblockedmefromFacebook’
 Agriculture scams
InAustralianfarmersandagriculturebusinesseslostovermilliontoscammerstargetingthe
agricultureindustryThemostreportedcategorywasclassifiedscamswithoverinreported
lossescloselyfollowedbyonlineshoppingscamswithoverreportedlost
ThemostcommonagriculturescamreportedwasfakeonlinesalesforheavymachinerytractorsThis
wasatrendthatbecameprominentduringthebeginningoftheCOVID-pandemicin
TherewerealsosignificantlossestoagriculturebusinessesfromfalsebillingscamsScammersissued
counterfeitinvoicesunderrealbusinessnamestofarmerswhopurchasedagriculturalinputssuchas
fertiliserInonecaseasmallbusinessownerlostoverbytransferringmoneytoascammer’s
bankaccountlistedonafalseinvoice
ScammersalsosoughttoobtainpersonalinformationsuchasdriverlicencespassportsMedicare
detailsandaddressesfromagriculturebusinessesandfarmers
Tractorscams
Scamwatchreceivedreportsaboutscamsinvolvingthesaleoftractorsandotheragricultural
machinerysuchasbackhoesbobcatsandexcavatorsThetotallossesfromagriculturalmachinery
scamsinwasmillion
Thesescamstargetedpeoplelookingtopurchasebothnewandsecond-handmachinery
Thenewtractorscamsinvolvedsettingupfaketractorwebsitesoeringarangeofagricultural
machineryTomakethesewebsiteslookmorelegitimatescammerswill
usethenameofanotherlegitimatebusiness
usetheABNofanotherbusiness
includeaphysicalbusinessaddresswhicharevacantblocksorbelongtoanotherbusiness

Targeting scams
Scammerswouldalsogivethepurchasera-daytrialperiodforthemachinerybeforegoingthrough
withthesaleThescammerswouldsaythemoneyistobedepositedtoanescrowservicewhilethetrial
periodisrunningHowevertheescrowbusinessispartofthescamandisnotlegitimate
TheagriculturemachineryscamsalsoappearonlegitimateplatformssuchasGumtreeandFacebook
MarketplaceTheseadsoftenrequestthatallcommunicationbemadeoveremailtogetpeopleothe
platformwherethescamcouldbedetected
Livestockscams
InScamwatchreceivedreportsaboutlivestockscamswithtotalreportedlossesover
Theamountlostfromeachscamvariedbetweenand
Thesescamsinvolvedpeoplelookingtopurchaselivestocksuchascattlesheepdonkeyshorsesetc
viaonlinemarketplaceplatformssuchasGumtreeandFacebookThesescammerswouldpostadson
thesemarketplacesandcommunicatewiththepersonviathemessagingplatforms
Oncethevictimmakescontactwiththescammerthescammerwouldaskforadeposittosecure
thepurchaseandtopayfortransportofthelivestockwiththeresttobepaidwhenthelivestockis
deliveredOncethedeposithasbeenpaidcommunicationstopswiththescammereither‘blocking’the
victimordeletingtheirsocialmediaaccount
u ‘I enquired to purchase 2 miniature highland calves. I had multiple discussions over messenger
and transferred $1000 deposit from my account to their nominated account. Amount was
$1200 per calf plus $400 delivery. Calves were to be delivered Saturday but never were. They
closed their Facebook account when I tried to send message.’

Targeting scams
. The people reporting scams
 The demographics
PeoplewhoreporttoScamwatchdieringenderagelocationandethnicity

Somepeoplereport
onbehalfofarelativeandsomereportonbehalfofabusinessorcommunityorganisationScamwatch
collectsdemographicdatatohelpitandotheragenciesunderstandwhoismostimpactedbyscams
andprovidewarningsandinformationtopeopleinaneectivewayThissectionofthereportexplores
whoreportedandlostmoney(andoftenpersonalinformation)toscamsin
Noteverybodywhoreportsascamprovidestheiragegenderlocationorethnicitybutthosethatdo
provideuswithvaluableinsightintohowscamsimpactdierentdemographics
Gender
InmenreportedlosingmoremoneythanwomenMenlostatotalofmillionandwomen
reportedlossesofmillion
Table 4.1 Gender and scam reports and losses
Gender Numberofreports Reportswithloss Losses
Women 142,092 12,736 $131m
Men 138,591 12,499 $190m
Non-specified 5,939 176 $2m
Total 286,622 25,411 $324m
Menreportedlosingtwiceasmuchaswomentoinvestmentscams(millioncomparedwith
million)inHoweverwomenreportedlosingmoretoromancescamswhencomparedto
men(millioncomparedwithmillion)Whilewomenlostahighertotalamountofmoneythan
mentoromancescamsmenweremorelikelytoreportlosingmoneyIntheyoungeragegroupsmen
andwomentendtolosesimilaramounts
Table 4.2 Scam types reported by men and women by highest loss
Scamtype Women Men
Reports Losses Reports Losses
Investment scams 3,349 $58m 6,073 $118m
Dating and romance scams 1,636 $32m 1,715 $24m
False billing 10,378 $7m 10,767 $10m
Remote access 7,76 5 $8m 7,6 9 4 $8m
Threats to life, arrest or other 15,986 $7m 15,870 $4m
Womenlostmoremoneythanmentoremoteaccessscamsandtothreatstolifearrestorother
 Scamwatchdoesnotcollectdataaboutspecificethnicity–reporterscanidentifyinthereportformasapersonwho
speaksalanguageotherthanEnglish

Targeting scams
Age
InpeopleagedandovermadethemostreportstoScamwatch()andreportedthe
highestlossesofalmostmillionThecleartrendemergedinwithlossesincreasingwithage
Reported Losses (million)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
< 18 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 and
Over
N/A
2020 Losses 2021 Losses 2020 Reports 2021 Reports
Reports (’000)
Table 4.3 Number of Scamwatch reports by age group – 2021 compared with 2020
 
Agegroup Reports Reportswithloss
(oftotalreports
inagegroup)
Losses Reports Losses
Under 18 1,984 372 (18.8%) $366,592 1,810 $496,156
18–24 14,834 3,038 (20.5%) $13m 13,781 $11m
25–34 39,954 5,299 (13.3%) $40m 33,122 $24m
35–44 43,527 4,837 (11.1%) $48m 32,727 $25m
45–54 38,893 3,751 (9.6%) $58m 28,908 $33m
55–64 37,6 4 4 3,010 (8.0%) $59m 25,836 $26m
65 and over 46,286 3,055 (6.6%) $82m 30,053 $38m
Age not provided 63,500 2,049 (3.2%) $24m 49,850 $18m
u CasestudyPaymentredirectionscamtargetinganolderAustralianoverlost
Janinewasassistingherelderlygrandmotherwhohadsoldherhometopaythedeposit
requiredtomoveintoagedcareJaninereceivedanemailfromtheagedcarehomewiththe
bankdetailssothepaymentcouldbemadeTheemailcontainedthebreakdownoffeesand
confirmedthebankaccountdetailsforpayment
Janineprovidedtheaccountdetailstothepropertysettlementagentsothattheproceedsfrom
thesaleofthehousecouldbepaidtotheagedcarehomeatsettlement
Thesettlementagentconfirmedtheyprocessedthepaymentandrequestedconfirmationof
receiptfromtheagedcarehome
Janinereceivedaphonecallfromtheagedcarehomesayingthatthefundswerenotreceived
Janinerequestedconfirmationofaccountdetailsandthenrealisedthattheonesshehadpaid
wereincorrectShespoketothemanageroftheagedcarehomeherbanktherecipientbank
andconcludedithadbeenapaymentredirectionscamTheemailoftheagedcarehomehad
beenhackedHergrandmotherlostover

Targeting scams
Location
ScamwatchreceivesreportsfrompeopleallacrossAustraliaandfromoverseas

Generallythenumber
ofreportsandlossesisconsistentwithpopulationsizeandthiswasthecaseinwithpeoplefrom
NewSouthWalesmakingthemostreports()andreportingthehighestlosses(million)
InVictoriansreportedthehighestlossesandreportsandthiswasattributedtotheimpactofthe
pandemiconVictoria
Table 4.4 Location of scam activity
State LossTotal ReportTotal
NSW $110m 92,122
VIC $74m 74,599
QLD $59m 52,057
WA $22m 25,416
SA $19m 20,336
ACT $7m 9,414
TAS $4m 5,346
Overseas $24m 4,308
NT $2m 2,770
Blank $2m 254
TheamountlosttoscamsincreasedacrossAustraliaThetablebelowshowslossescomparedto
populationsize
Table 4.5 Losses by state compared with population
State LossTotal CensuspopulationonSeptember
NSW $110,080,190 8,186,800
VIC $74,288,969 6,643,100
QLD $58,559,252 5,240,500
WA $22,175,130 2,685,200
SA $19,363,369 1,722,800
ACT $ 7,0 8 8, 5 0 0 430,500
TAS $ 4 , 417,7 2 3 540,800
NT $1,589,956 245,900
TheAustralianCapitalTerritoryhasjustoftheAustralianpopulationHoweverACTresidentswere
overrepresentedintermsoflossinThismeansthatpeopleintheACTlostaproportionallyhigher
amounttoscamsofallstatesAfullbreakdownofthescamcategoryofeachAustralianStateand
TerritoryisavailableinAppendix
 Scams affecting Indigenous Australians
ScamwatchinvitesreporterstoindicatewhethertheyareIndigenous

whentheycompleteawebform
ThisinformationhelpsScamwatchtoidentifythetypesofscamsthatmaybeimpactingIndigenous
Australiansandtargetourwarningstotherelevantcommunities
 ScamwatchincludeslosseswherethereisaconnectiontoAustraliainthescamreport
 Scamwatchreportsmayincludereporterswhoidentifyas‘Indigenous’inothercountries(egNewZealandUSA
Canadaetc)

Targeting scams
InreportstoScamwatchfromIndigenouspeoplerosetoandlossesincreasedto
millioncomparedtoIndigenouspeoplereportedamedianlossofwhichwasanalmost
increaseon
Table 4.6 Top 5 scams with the highest losses for Indigenous reporters
Scamtype Losses from Medianloss
Investment $1.5m 371% $3,092
Phishing $1.1m 4301% $500
Romance $518,192 -12% $900
Betting & Sports investment $419,827 8424% $1,120
Online shopping $197,733 -28% $284
Indigenouspeoplerepresented
oflossesforbettingandsportsinvestmentscams
oflossesforhealthandmedicalproducts
oflossesforphishingscams
Indigenouspeopleaged–lostthemostmoneyfollowedbythoseaged–indicatingthat
scamstendtoimpactyoungerIndigenouspeoplecomparedtothetrendinlossesforallreporters
IndigenouspeoplepayscammersindierentwaystootherScamwatchreporterswiththemostlosses
reportedas‘otherpayment’ratherthanbanktransfer
IndigenouspeopleinNSWmadethemostreports()butthoseinQueenslandreportedlosingthe
mostmoneywithovermillionreportedlost
u CasestudyIn-personscaminremoteAustralia
‘IjustwantmymoneybackIgotkidsandpayingrentmyselfHowcanIgetmymoneyback
please?I’mstrugglingCausewehadnobreakfastalldayandmyhousehasgotnopower’
MarliasoleparentofyoungchildrenlivedinaremotecommunityShewasinfinancialhardship
andwasvisitedbyacouplewhoweregoingdoortodoorgettingpeopletosignupforbooks
andDVDsThecoupleconvincedMarlitoenterintoalongtermcontractwithoutanassessment
offamilyincomeorcapacitytopayShewantedtocancelbuttheywouldnotlether
IndigenousAustraliansalsolostlargeamountsofmoneytoinvestmentscamsincludingcryptocurrency
u CasestudyBitcoininvestmentscam–lost
OvermonthsNoraaretireefromNorthernAustraliainvestedallofhersuperannuationwith
ascambrokerfrominvestments

whoencouragedhertoinvestinBitcoinItstartedwith
ainvestmentandthenshewaspressuredbyLuketoaddmoretotheonlinewalletwhich
wasperformingwellTheplanwastodrawamonthlyincomeofbutwhensheaskedto
withdrawthemoneyLukestoppedrespondingtocallstextsoremailsShecouldseeshestill
hadinthewalletandkepttryingtowithdrawbuttheycancelledeachtimeEventually
shesawhermoneywasdowntoandshehadlosteverything
InScamwatchreceivedreportsfromatleastIndigenousAustraliansreportingshippingcontainer
scamswithtotallossesexceeding
 WarningsbyFCA(UK)httpswwwfcaorguknewswarnings-investments-cabsy-holdings-ltdAustrianFMAand
ItalianCONSOB

Targeting scams
u CasestudyShippingcontainerscam
‘IpurchasedshippingcontainersinseparatetransactionsIreceivedinvoicespaidbyEFT
howeverthedeliverydatepassedwithnocontainersreceivedNowIcannotcontactthemas
phoneshavebeendisconnectedandnotansweringemails’
ThereportnotedthewebsiteresponsiblewaswwwboxesandcontainerscomThiswebsitewas
oneofaseriesofwebsitesfacilitatingthesescamsTheACCC’sScamwatchnotifiedthehosting
providerabouttheScamwatchreportsandthewebhostremovedthewebsite
 Scams affecting culturally and linguistically diverse
communities
PeoplereportingtoScamwatchcanidentifyasapersonfroma‘non-Englishspeakingbackground’
whenlodginganonlinereportThisisusedasaproxybyScamwatchtoreportonscamsthatimpact
culturallyandlinguisticallydiversecommunities(CALDcommunities)Scamwatchdoesnotcollect
dataonthespecificlanguagesspokenorculturalbackgroundsofreportersfromanon-English
speakingbackground
InpeoplefromCALDcommunitiesmadeupofreportsandalmostofthetotallosses
TherewasaincreaseinreportstoScamwatchfromCALDcommunitiestoandan
increaseinfinanciallossesuptoalmostmillioncomparedto
ThemedianlossforCALDreporterswaswhichwashigherthanfornon-CALDreporters()
ReportsfromCALDcommunitiesmadeup(million)ofallreportedlosses
Table 4.7 Top 5 scams with the highest losses for CALD Communities
Scamtype Losses Percentagechange
from
Medianloss
Investment $20m 224% $4,100
Romance $7m 28% $10,000
Threats to life, arrest or other $4m -32% $6,000
Identity theft $4m 852% $1,288
Phishing $1m 336% $600
ForCALDcommunitiesthecontactmethodresultinginthehighestlosseswasMobileAppswith
millionreportedlostManypeopleinthesecommunitieswereimpactedbytheponzipyramid
schemeHopeBusinessscamwhichutilisedappsPeoplefromCALDcommunitiesmadeupofthe
reportsaboutPyramidschemesin
u CasestudyPyramidschemesandCALDcommunities–losteach
SharmaninvestedmoneyintheHopeBusinessappinthehopeofgettinga–returnHehad
tobuyproductswhichtheappon-sellsHelost
RiaanreceivedareferralfromafriendandinvestedintheHopeBusinessapplosing
WomenfromCALDcommunitiesreportedlosingmoremoney(almostmillion)thanmen(almost
million)butmenmademorereportsTheagegroup–lostthemostmoney(million)
followedbythoseaged–(million)and–(million)YoungerCALDpeoplewerefarmore
likelytolosemoneytothreatbasedscamswiththe–-year-oldgrouplosingthemost(million)

Targeting scams
PeoplefromCALDcommunitieswereover-representedinthelossesforsomescamtypes
accountingfor
ofreportsandoflossesforpyramidschemes
ofreportsbutoflossesforthreatstolifearrestandother
ofreportsbutoflossesforidentitytheft
ofreportsbutoverofthelossesforphishingscams
u CasestudyThreatbasedscamlost
XiuhadjustfinisheduniversityinAustraliaandreceivedaphonecallfromZihan(ascammer)
whosaidshewasfromChinaCommunicationsGroupCowhichXiuthoughtmightbeafake
businessZihansaidthattherewasaphonenumberregisteredunderXiu’snamewhichwas
sendingscammessagesZihantoldXiutocontacttheChinesepoliceonaphonenumberZihan
providedAftercallingthenumberXiuwastoldthattherewasabankaccountwithmoney
missingandwasshowndocumentspurportingtobeevidenceofthisloss
Xiutrustedthattheyweretherealpoliceandwasaskedtodoverificationofvoiceprintand
handwritingXiouparticipatedinavideocallandsawthemwearingthepoliceuniformTheytold
XiuthatthepersonresponsibleworkedfortheCommonwealthBankXiuwasinstructedtosend
moneytoanANZaccountbelongingtoHongKongprosecutorswhosenamesshewasgiven
ShetransferredamountstotallingXiuwastoldsomeofthemoneywasforbailwhile
shewasinAustraliaotherwisethepolicesaidtheywouldrepatriateherbacktoChina
ThecontactwentonforoveraweekandduringthattimeXiuwastoldshewasnotallowed
totellanyoneaboutitTheysaidthatafterafewdaysshecouldtellherfamilyandtheywould
transferthemoneybackWhenXiutoldherfamilytheysaiditwasascamandsheshouldreport
tothepolice
GovernmentimpersonationscamscanimpactvulnerablepeoplefromCALDbackgroundsespecially
thosewhomayberefugeesornewmigrants
u CasestudyVisascamtargetsvulnerablefamily–lost
Sayeed(ascammer)oeredtoassistPrishawithherfamily’sAustralianVisaapplicationsSayeed
saidhewasfromMelbourneandpresentedtothefamilyasalawyerandasecurityworkerHe
startedtoassistPrisha’sfamilywiththeirvisasSayeedgeneratedafakevideoandAustralian
passportandtookmoneyfromallthefamilymembersincashWhenconfrontedSayeedrefused
toreturnthemoneyandthreatenedthefamilymembersHecreatedfalsepaperworkand
disruptedtheirvisaapplications
SayeedthreatenedPrishathatifthematterwasreportedhewouldtellthepolicethatPrisha’s
familywerepretendingtobepoliceandwerethreateningrapedeathandtheftPrishaandher
familywerefrightenedandleftwithnomoney
SayeedpressuredPrisha’sbrothertosignafalsestatutorydeclarationandpaymoneytoget
aspecialistlawyerforhimPrishareportedthatthisallbecametoomuchandherbrother
triedtocommitsuicidePrisha’sentirefamilywasstressedasSayeedhadallofherfamily’s
personalinformationwhichheobtainedwhenpretendingtoprocessvisasSayeedthenstarted
threateningPrisha’sfamilyinIndiaaswellHegottheirpassportdetailsandotherdocuments
Prishastatedthatittookherfamilyalotofcouragetocomeforwardandreportitandtheydid
becausetheydidnotwantSayeedtofraudandrobanyotherfamilies

Targeting scams
 Scams affecting people with disability
WhenpeoplereporttoScamwatchtheycanindicateiftheyidentifyasapersonwithdisabilityon
thereportformThishelpsScamwatchidentifyscamsthatmaybetargetingorimpactingpeople
withdisabilitysothatwecanensureourwarningsarerelevantandeectiveScamwatchreceived
(aboutofallreports)reportsfrompeoplewithdisabilitywithfinanciallossesofmillion
(oftotallosses)
Intherewasaincreaseinreportsfrompeoplewithdisabilityandaincreaseinfinancial
lossesreportedtoScamwatchThemedianlosswas
Table 4.8 Top 5 scams with the highest losses from people with disability
Scamtype Losses Percentagechange
from
Medianloss
Investment $8m 202% $5,000
Romance $4.3m -23% $2,568
Identity theft $2.7m 3,223% $1,079
Remote access scams $1.2m 480% $3,800
Threats to life, arrest or other $1.1m 548% $2,750
Olderpeoplewithdisabilitylostmoremoneywiththoseoverlosingalmostmillion
u CasestudyRemoteaccesslost
SusananolderAustralianwithdisabilityreceivedacallfromOwen(ascammer)whosaidhe
wasfromNBNaskingaboutherinternetandhomephonesOwensaidthatsomeonewastrying
totakemoneyfromSusan’saccountsOwensaidtheyweregoingtosetupadummyaccount
tocatchthepeopleresponsibleOwensaidthatnomoneywouldcomefromSusan’saccount
buttomakeitlooklegitimatetheywouldmakeitappeartocomefromSusan’saccountOwen
toldSusantopressonsomethingcalled‘AnyDesk’Thiswasremoteaccesssoftwarethatmeant
thatOwenwasthenabletogetintoSusan’sphonesandtabletHesetuptransactionsand
saidwhenthebankcallseverythingwillbeokSusanstartedtogetsuspiciousandOwensaid
allthemoneywouldbeputbackintheiraccountSusanlookedupthecyber-crimedepartment
butsomehowOwenknewshedidthisOwenalsoaccessedSusan’screditcardAtthetimeof
reportingtoScamwatchthescammerscontinuedtocallSusanTheyhadtoldhernottotell
anyoneaboutit
Peoplewithdisabilitywereover-representedinthelossesforsomescamtypesmakingup
ofreportsbutoflossesforransomwareandmalware
ofreportsbutoflossesidentitytheft
ofreportsbutoflossesforunexpectedprize&lotteryscams
ofreportsbutofthelossesforinheritancescams
u CasestudyHealth&medicalscamfromreporterwithdisability
ElanaanagedpensionersawanarticleadvertisedonFacebookwhichbroughtupanoerto
buyandgetfreeforhealthproductsThenayellowboxpoppedupandsaidtoputdelivery
detailsandnameanditwasaonetimeoerforthatwouldrunoutinsomanyminutesfora
productthatwouldhelpwithherarthritisanddiabetesElanaputhercreditcarddetailstotake
uptheoerElenacheckedherbankonlineandwashorrifiedtoseeamountshadbeentaken
outforatotalof
Reportsoflossestounexpectedprizeandlotteryscamswerealsohigherforreporterswithdisability
ManyofthesescamsrelatedtoCOVID-socialsupportpaymentsfromtheFederalGovernment
Thesescamswerespreadaslinksinemailsorcontactonsocialmediabycompromisedaccounts
leadingindividualstobelievetheywerebeingdirectedtotheprogrambyfriends

Targeting scams
 The Businesses losing money to scams
Thescamthatimpactsbusinessthemostispaymentredirectionalsoknownasbusinessemail
compromiseCombinedlossestopaymentredirectionweremillioninwithmostreports
madetobanksandReportCyberScamwatchreceivedreportsaboutpaymentredirection
scams

withmillionreportedlost
Scamwatchreceivesreportsaboutscamsfrombusinessesandtheycanadvisewhethertheyare
large(oversta)medium(–)small(–)ormicro(–)ornotprovidetheirsizeWhile
totallosseswentdownforsmallbusinessesthemedianlossforsmallbusinesswashigherthanother
businesssizes
InScamwatchreceivedreportsfrombusinesses

withmillionreportedlostThis
representsadecreaseinreportsandadecreaseinlosses
Table 4.9 Losses and number of reports by business size
Businesssize Reports Losses Percentagechangein
lossesfrom
Medianloss
micro (0–4 sta) 1,093 $3.5m 71% increase $1,550
small (5–19 sta) 890 $3.5m 28% decrease $3,812
medium (20–199 sta) 551 $4.2m 170% increase $2,772
large (over 200 sta) 319 $421,000 95% decrease $1,601
size of business not provided 771 $1.7m 117% increase $2,398
Thehighestlossesweretofalsebillingscamswhichincludesmanypaymentredirectionscams
BusinessesreportedlossesofmilliontofalsebillingscamswithamedianlossofHowever
forsmallbusinessesthemedianlosswasThesecondhighestlosseswereinvestmentscams
withovermillionreportedlostandamedianlossofalmost
Themostcommoncontactmethodforreportsandlosseswasemailwhichisnotsurprisinggiven
thescamthatcausesthehighestlossesinvolvesscammersemailinginvoiceswithachangeof
paymentdetails
Table 4.10 Top 5 scams by loss – business
Scamtype Losses Percentagechangein
lossesfrom
Medianloss
False billing $6.7m -50% $4,200
Investment $5.1m 205% $39,273
Classified scams $0.6m 202% $2,250
Online shopping scams $0.3m -32% $916
Identity theft $0.2m 205% $1,531
u CasestudyFalseBillingreportfrombusiness–lost
AnAustralianEngineeringcompany’semailswassomehowinterceptedandredirectedfrom
thesameemailaddressbuthadcominsteadofcomauItcontainedarequesttochangebank
accountdetailsandhadanattachedletterwiththelegitimatecompany’slogoApaymentwas
thenmadetothefraudulentaccountandwasnotdiscovereduntilthesupplierqueriedtheir
unpaidinvoices
 ScamwatchdoesnothaveacategoryforpaymentredirectionorbusinessemailcompromiseMostpeoplereportunder
falsebillingbutothersareunderphishingotherscamsidentitytheftandhackingThesewillincludereportsbyboth
individualsandbusinesses
 Thisincludesallbusinessesthatspecifiedabusinesssizelargemediumsmallormicro

Targeting scams
. The fight against scams
Scamwatchsentmorethandisseminationsofscamreportsonhighriskorcurrentscamtrends
tolawenforcementandgovernmentThisintelligenceassistedstateandfederalpolicetoinvestigate
andinsomeinstancesprosecutescammersPoliceinvestigatedchargedandorarestedindividuals
involvedinmoneymulingringsroofingscamspuppyscamsidentitytheftinvestmentscamsand
phonescamsimpersonatinglawenforcementorbanks
ScamwatchprovidedFlubotURLstotheAustralianCyberSecurityCentretofacilitatewebsiteremoval
requestsonoccasions
 ACCC identifies Flubot scam and collaborates to
disrupt the scam
InAugusttheACCCreceivedsomeofthefirstcomplaintsofthe‘Flubot’scamwhenithit
AustraliaItwasthelargestphonemalwarecampaigneverseeninAustraliaScamwatchreceivedclose
toreportsbytheendoftheyear
FlubotwasoneofthefastestspreadingmobilemalwareknowntodateemerginginEuropeandtheUS
beforehittingAustraliaItstealspasswordsonlinebankingdetailsandothersensitiveinformationfrom
smartphonesaroundtheworld
TheACCCwrotetoAustralianbankstoalertthemtotheriskofmobilebankingcompromiseWeset
outourexpectationsthatbankswouldimmediatelytakestepstominimisetheabilityforscammersto
compromiseconsumeraccountsandthattheywillsupportaectedconsumerstominimiselossesand
recoveraccesstotheiraccounts
Inmid-SeptemberwewrotetomorethanbanksandcreditprovidersandnotifiedtheAustralian
BankingAssociationandtheAustralianFinancialComplaintsAuthoritythatwehadcontactedbanksto
makethemawareofourconcernsrelatingtoFlubot
ScmawatchworkedwiththeAustralianCyberSecurityCentreandtheirpartnerstoensurewebsites
hosting‘Flubot’reportedtoScamwatchwererapidlyremovedfromtheinternetWeuploaded
AustralianstrainsofFlubotforingestionintoanti-virustoolsandsafebrowsingengines
WeprovidedphonenumbersassociatedwithphonescamsincludingFlubottothe
telecommunicationsindustry
Directfinanciallosstothesescamsremainedlow(justunder)Althoughanunknownnumber
ofpeoplemayhaveexperiencedlossofpersonalinformation
WesharedthescamreportsaboutFlubotwiththeAustralianFederalPolicetoassistitinlaw
enforcementeortsInJuneTheEUannouncedthataninternationalpolicecooperation
includingtheAFPwassuccessfulintakingdowntheFluBotcriminalinfrastructureEuropol’sEuropean
CybercrimeCentrebroughttogetherthenationalinvestigatorsintheaectedcountriestoestablisha
jointstrategyprovidedigitalforensicssupportandfacilitatetheexchangeofoperationinformation
TheoperationincludedrelevantAustralia(AFP)BelgiumFinlandHungaryIrelandRomaniaSweden
SpainNetherlandsandtheUnitedStates
 ACCC and the Scams Awareness Network improve
outcomes for victims of identity compromise
DuringtheACCCcontinueditsworkwithDepartmentofHomeAairsandIDCAREinadvocating
forthestateandterritorylicencingauthoritiesandStateMinisterstoseekanation-widepractical
solutionthatwillenabletheuseofauniqueidentifier(UID)numberoneachnewlicencecardissuedA
UIDwouldenablelicencingauthoritiestoreplacelostorstolenlicencesmore-readilywithoutre-issuing
anewdriverlicencenumber

Targeting scams
ThisresultedinagreementfromStatestoenhancesecuritymeasuresaroundidentityverificationand
driverlicencesandtheACCCiscontinuingtoworkalongsidetheDepartmentofHomeAairsandstate
andterritoryauthoritiestoimplementtheseimprovements
Thiswillmakeitmoredicultforcriminalstouselostorstolendriverlicencesandeasierforvictimsto
recoverfromidentitycrime
 Stronger measures introduced in telco sector to
tackle phone scams
SinceabouttheACCChashighlightedconcernsabouttheuseofphoneservicestoperpetrate
scamsandtheharmscausedbymobileportingfraud
InDecembertheACMAestablishedtheScamTechnologyProjecttotacklephonescamsSinceits
inceptiontheACCChasworkedalongsidetheACMAandtheAustralianCyberSecurityCentreother
governmentagenciessuchastheATOandtelecommunicationsproviders
Keyoutcomesoftheprojectinclude
theintroductionoftheTelecommunications(MobileNumberPre-PortingAdditionalIdentity
Verification)IndustryStandardwhichhasreducedthelevelofportingfraud
theregistrationoftheReducingScamCallsIndustryCodeinDecemberandtheincreaseduse
ofcallblockingtodisruptphonescams
ongoingdevelopmentofmeasurestopreventsimswapfraud
workonregulatorymeasurestorequiretelcostomonitorandblockmaliciousscamSMSmessages
TheACCCcontinuedtoplayanimportantroleintheScamsTelecommunicationsActionTaskforce
whichprovidesgovernmentandindustrycoordinationandoversightoftelecommunicationsscam
minimisationstrategies
WeworkcloselywithtelecommunicationsprovidersandtheACMAtounderstandtheactionstheyare
takingtomeettheirrequirementsundertheReducingScamCallsCodeandtheTelecommunications
(MobileNumberPre-PortingAdditionalIdentityVerification)IndustryStandard
u Inoverscamreportsadvisedthatthescammermadecontactinaphonecall
Telecommunications providers blocked over 357 million scam callsinthefirstmonthsofthe
code’soperation(DecembertoNovember)limitingopportunitiesforcriminalsto
scamAustralians
EachweektheACCCprovidesareportoftelephonenumbersthathavebeenreportedto
ScamwatchtoCommunicationsAlliancemembersincludingTelstraVodafoneOptusVocus
PivotelAussieBroadbandMNFGroupandNetSipItsimportanttoreportscamcallssothis
informationcanbeusedtodisruptthescams
AtthetimeofpublishingthisreportphonescamsreportedtoScamwatchinhad
decreasedcomparedto
TheAustralianCommunicationsandMediaAuthorityflagsadditionalrules
fortelcos
Phonescamsremainedakeypriority

fortheAustralianCommunicationsandMediaAuthority(ACMA)
throughoutTheACMAengagedwithindustryandgovernmentagenciesandinternational
counterpartstodisruptscamsonAustralia’stelconetworkspromotecomplianceobligationsto
industryandeducateconsumersabouthowtheycanidentifyscamsandprotectthemselvesBuilding
onthesuccessesoftheReducingScamCallsindustrycodeandSMSSenderIDsolutiontheACMA
 ACMAACMAcompliancepriorities–viewedJanuary

Targeting scams
isworkingwithCommunicationsAlliancetodevelopenforceableobligationsontelecommunications
providerstoidentifytraceandblockordisruptSMSscamsTheACMAanticipatemakingnewrulesin
thefirsthalfof
TheACMAisalsodevelopingnewrulestorequiretelecommunicationsproviderstoundertake
enhancedidentityverificationpriortoengagingincustomerinteractionswithahighriskoffraudfor
exampleSIMswapbillingenquiriesoraccountchangerequests

TheACMA-ledScamTelcoActionTaskforcemetinMarchAugustandearlyDecemberIssues
discussedincludedscamreductioninitiativesnewtelcotechnologytoidentifyandblockscamcalls
andtrialsoftrustedorganisationimpersonationscamreductioninitiativesTheTaskforcewillcontinue
tomeetin
InDecembertheACMAreneweditsscamsconsumerawarenessresources

targetingkey
findingsfromitsconsumerresearchintotheAustralianexperienceofunsolicitedcommunications
TheACMAalsoissuedformalwarningstotelcosforfailingtoprotectcustomersagainstidentity
theft(followingrules

introducedinearlywhichrequiretelcostohavemorerigorouscustomer
verificationprocessesinplacesuchasmultifactororin-personidentification)
 ACCC advocates with finance sector and regulators
to address scams
MostpaymentstoscammerswereviatraditionalbanktransferInmillionwasreportedto
ScamwatchaspaidviabanktransferFinancialfirmsareinauniquepositiontoidentifyfraudriskand
investincapabilitytomitigaterisks
TheACCChascommunicatedexpectationstothefinancesectoraboutitsroleinpreventingscams
TheACCCappreciatesthatthefinancesectorisincreasingitseorttocombatscamsbutisoftheview
thatmoreisrequiredtoincreasetheeectivenessofscamspreventionTheACCCisseeingmorescam
victimslosinglargeramountsofmoneywithdevastatingconsequenceoftentothosewhocanleast
aordit
u CasestudyPaymentredirectioninpropertysettlement–overlost
‘Wewereabouttosettleonahomewepurchasedonlytofindoutthemortgagebroker’semail
hadbeencompromisedbyahackerorscammerThispersonpretendedtobeourmortgage
brokerbyinterceptingemailsandassuringmewheretotransfermyfundsofoverto
ensureasmoothsettlementprocessTurnsouttheaccountwasnotwherethebankwantedthe
moneytogoandourbrokerknewnothingabouthisemail(andmanythreads)beingwrittenby
thescammerandnothim
We had no idea it wasn’t him and now we’ve lost our life savings and cannot settle on our new
home. Devasted’
InASICcontinueditsreviewoftheePaymentsCodeandamendedtheCodetoexcludescams
fromthemistakenpaymentandunauthorisedtransactionsprovisionsWhiletheACCCrecognised
thattheCodewasnotsetuptoprotectconsumersfromscamsinitssubmissionstoASICtheACCC
highlightedtheneedforthebankingandpaymentsectortoconsidersomeregulatoryinitiativesthat
havebeenimplementedincomparablejurisdictionsoverseas
TheACCCalsoadvocatedinitssubmissiontotheReviewofAustralianPaymentsSystemsforthe
adoptionofinitiativessimilartotheUK’sConfirmationofPayeewhichwouldmatchtheaccountnumber
totheintendedrecipienttoreducescamlossesoccurringbybanktransfer
 ACMAProposaltomakeTelecommunicationsServiceProvider(CustomerIdentityVerification)Determination
viewedJanuary
 ACMAPhonescameducationalresourcesACMAviewedJanuary
 Telecommunications(MobileNumberPre-PortingAdditionalIdentityVerification)IndustryStandardviewed
January

Targeting scams
u CasestudyScampreventionmeasuresinfinancialsectorsoverseas
Confirmationofpayee(UK)
ConfirmationofPayee(CoP)isatoolinreducingcertaintypesofscamsandaccidentally
misdirectedpaymentsItchecksthenameofthepayee’saccountagainsttheotherdetailsgiven
bythepayer
IntroducedintheUKinthelargestbanksintheUKandoftransactionsintheUK
FasterPaymentssystemarecoveredTheUKisworkingonexpandingtocover(afurther
paymentproviderstobebroughtunderthescheme)ThefirstfullyearofCoPledtoafall
inmistakenpayments

Asbanksmovetowardsmorerealtimepaymentsthereisagreaterneedforrealtimesolutions
thatcanidentifyandhaltscamtransactionsviabanktransfersBetterprocessescouldbe
developedinAustraliatoalertcustomerswhenanaccountnumberdoesnotmatchaname
Thiswouldbeusefulindisruptingpaymentredirectionscamsandwouldalsoprovidelimited
protectionsforconsumersfromothertypesoffraudandmistakenpayment
‘CoPhasbeenagamechanginginnovationinthebattleagainstfraudandscamsintheUK
notonlywillthisdetectfraudulentandmisdirectedpaymentsbutCoPisalsoproventoreduce
operatingcostsandimprovethedigitaljourneyforcustomers’(NatWestGroupUK)

IBANNamecheck(theNetherlands)
InDutchbanksintroducedtheIBAN-namecheckservicewhichledtoandropin
reportedfraudscams

Fromcustomerswillalsoberefundedifascamoccursthrough
telephonenumberspoofing
ContingentReimbursementCode(UK)
IntheUKimplementedtheAuthorisedPushPaymentContingentReimbursementModel
CodeThisCoderequiresbankstoimplementCoPandissueeectivewarningstocustomers
delayorstoppaymentsactquicklywhenascamisreportedandstopscammersopeningbank
accountsItalsorequiresbankstoreimbursescamvictimsincertainscenariostoidentifyhigher
riskpaymentsandcustomerswhoarevulnerable
Voluntaryinitiatives
TheACCCisawareofabankintheUKthathasmadevoluntarycommitmentstorefundscam
victimswhohavebeentrickedbyascamItprovidesrefundsforanhonestmistakeincluding
accidentallyclickingonsomethingtheyshouldn’t

Thebankconsidersthisisthelowestcost
optionthatdoesn’tresultinahigherleveloffraudulentclaimsorcustomersbeinglesscareful

ScamwatchsetsupAPIwithAustralianFinancialCrimesExchange(AFCX)
ToenablethebankstobettercombatscamstheACCCsharesscamreportswiththeAFCXfor
provisiontoNABCBAWestpacANZBendigoBankandMacquarieBankThisprovidesthebanks
withclosetorealtimeinformationaboutscamsandoftenincludestheaccountnumbersofthe
scammersWeexpectthebankstoactonthisinformationtostopscammersTheACCCislookingto
expandthescammerintelitshareswiththeAFCXacrossallthemembersontheplatform
TheACCCalsomeetsregularlywiththeAustralianBankingAssociationAusPayNettheNewPayments
PlatformandRBAoninitiativestoreducescams
 PSRCPConfirmationofpayeerequirementsforfourthparticipationinCoPp
 MayGauravGaurNatWestGroupUKhttpswwwfinextracomnewsarticlenatwest-launches-
confirmation-of-payee-api-for-business-customers
 SurePayreporthttpswwwsurepaynlensurepay-year-report-
 httpswwwtsbcoukfraud-prevention-centrefraud-refund-guarantee
 TSBBankhttpswwwtsbcouknews-releasestsb-marks-three-years-of-fraud-refund-guaranteeandh t t p s 
committeesparliamentukwrittenevidencehtml

Targeting scams
TheACCCsharesinformationwiththeAustralianFinancialComplaintsAuthoritytoassisttheir
determinationswhenassessingthebankshandlingofscamcomplaints
ACCCworkswithbanksandtechcompaniestocombatremoteaccess
scams
Inreportsofremoteaccessscamsincreasedbycomparedtoandlossesincreasedby
toovermillion
ScamwatchincollaborationwithNBNCoidentifiedscammersusingTeamViewersoftwaretoremotely
stealmoneyfromvictimsTheACCCmetwithTeamViewertounderstandhowwemightcollaborateto
reducethesescams
TeamViewerproposedanumberoftechnicalsolutionstoreducescamsandwefacilitatedaroundtable
withtheABANABCBAWestpacANZSuncorpHSBCMacquarieBoQBendigoAdelaideandING
todiscusstheseinMay
AsaresultoftheseinitiativesreportsofremoteaccessscamsinvolvingTeamViewerreduced
significantlyinthesecondhalfofBetweenJanuaryandJunetheACCCreceived
reportsaboutscamsusingTeamViewerwithlossesofovermillionAfterthisinitiativefrom
JulytoDecemberreportsdecreasedbytoandlossesreducedbyto
TheACCC’snextstepistoundertakesimilarstepswithotherremotesoftwarecompaniesbeingused
inscams
 The ACCC shares scammer intel with the US
Federal Trade Commission
IntheACCCcommencedsharingscammerintelligencethroughtheUSFederalTradeCommission
(FTC)ConsumerSentinelNetwork(approximatelycountries)addingtotheglobalintelonscamsand
consumerfraud
 ACCC focuses on digital platforms and commences
proceedings against Meta
Financiallosstoscamsoversocialnetworkingandonlineforumsincreasedalmostinto
millionTheACCCexpectsDigitalPlatformstousetheirowntoolstomonitorplatformseducate
usersandremovescammers
SincetheACCCsendsadailydisseminationofScamwatchreportsinvolvingFacebookto
Facebooktotakeappropriateaction
TheACCChasadvocatedfordigitalplatformstotakemoreactiontoaddressscamsThishasbeen
coveredintheACCC’sinquiriesintovariousaspectsofdigitalplatformsincludingthefi nalreportwhich
includedspecificrecommendationstoaddressscams

Targeting scams
u ACCCactionagainstMetaforpublishingscamcelebritycryptoadsonFacebook
InMarchtheACCCcommencedproceedingsintheFederalCourtagainstFacebook
ownerMetaPlatformsIncandMetaPlatformsIrelandLimitedallegingthattheyengagedin
falsemisleadingordeceptiveconductbypublishingscamadvertisementsfeaturingprominent
Australianpublicfigures
TheACCCallegestheadswhichpromotedinvestmentincryptocurrencyormoneymaking
schemeswerelikelytomisleadFacebookusersintobelievingtheadvertisedschemeswere
associatedwithwell-knownpeoplefeaturedintheadsTheACCCallegestheschemeswerein
factscamsandthepeoplefeaturedintheadshadneverapprovedorendorsedthem
TheACCCallegesthatFacebookfailedtopreventthepublicationofthescamadsevenafter
publicfiguresaroundtheworldreportedsimilaradstoMetaInoneinstancethattheACCCis
awareofaconsumerlostmorethan
 Scamwatch increases the scam report data it shares
with the private sector
OverthelastyearstheACCChassenttensofthousandsofscamreportsandmetregularlywiththe
privatesectortocombatscams
Someoftheorganisationsandplatformswesharedscamsintelorcollaboratedwithincluded
Gumtree
MoneyGram
WesternUnion
LinkedIn
TeamViewer
NBNCo
Seek
Afterpay
CarsGuide
Facebook
Autotrader
CoinSpot
Amazon
Microsoft
TheACCCmeetswithrepresentativesoftheseplatformsandbusinessestodiscussemergingscam
trendsandtoidentifyopportunitiestopreventanddisruptscamsAsanexampleScamwatch
identifiedanewscamtargetingGumtreeuserswherebyscammerswereclaimingtohaveorganisedfor
courierstocollectordelivergoodsGumtreewhoregularlyengageswithustoaddressscamsonthe
platformnowhasapop-upembeddedintotheirsitewarningusersaboutthisscamassoonasthey
entertheplatform
 Scams Awareness Network
TheACCCChairstheScamsAwarenessNetworkwhichiscomprisedofgovernmentregulatory
agenciesanddepartmentswithresponsibilityforconsumerprotectionandpolicingintheareasof
scamscybersafetyandfraud

Targeting scams
ThecorepurposeoftheScamsAwarenessNetworkisformemberstoshareinformationaboutscams
regularlyandtodeliveracoordinatedawarenesscampaignforconsumersIthasgovernment
agenciesandIDCAREasmembers(alistisavailablehere)
TheACCCsharesupdateswithgovernmentagenciesabouteachagency’sactivitiesandtheNetwork
meetsannually
 Scamwatch media, social media and
awareness raising
From–NovembertheACCCledtheScamsAwarenessWeekcampaignwhichwassupportedby
overpartnerorganisationsThecampaignencouragedthepublicto‘StopScamsSpeakUp’and
reachedanestimatedmillionpeople
BytheendofScamwatchhadsubscriberstoitsemailalertserviceandpublishedmedia
releaseswarningthepublicaboutscams
TheScamwatchwebsitehadovermillionpageviewsinandtheACCC’sLittleBlackBookof
ScamswasviewedtimesanddownloadedtimesWedistributedhardcopies
IntheScamwatchTwitteraccount(@Scamwatchgovau)postedtweetsandbytheendof
hadafollowingofover
InJunetheACCCreleaseditsTargetingScamsreportwhichwasviewedtimesand
downloadedtimes
IntherewasanincreaseindemandforinformationaboutscamsandtrendsWeresponded
tohundredsofmediarequestsACCCDeputyChairDeliaRickardappearedonmanytelevisionand
radioprogramspromotingscamsawarenessandsharingtipsonhowpeoplecanprotectthemselves
fromscams
TheACCC’sindigenousoutreachteamsvisitedBagotCommunityBelyuenCommunityKnuckey
LagoonandPalmerstonIndigenousvillageinwhereamongotherthingsstaprovided
informationandrespondedtoconcernsaboutscams
TheACCCissuedmediareleasesonascamsrelatedtopic
Date Mediarelease
8 Nov 2021 Stop Scams Speak Up – scams awareness week
27 Sep 2021 Losses reported to Scamwatch exceed $211, phone scams exploding
12 July 2021 Computer takeover scams on the rise
10 June 2021 CALD community lose $22 million to scams in 2020, reports form Indigenous Australian up by 25%
9 Jun 2021 Payment redirection scams cost Australian businesses $128 million in 2020
7 Jun 2021 Scammers capitalise on pandemic as Australians lose record $851 to scams
27 Apr 2021 Losses to car ad scams climbing
30 Mar 2021 Payment redirection scams cost Australian businesses $14 million
12 Feb 2021 Romance baiting scams on the rise

Targeting scams
 Scams Awareness Week – + government and
private partners
TheACCCrunsScamsAwarenessWeekinNovembereachyearandalsoinvolvesprivatesectorand
communitypartners
ScamsWeekwasheldintheweek–NovemberThecampaignencouragedeveryonetostart
aconversationaboutscamstoreducestigmaandhelppeoplerecogniseascamsoonerorprevent
scamsfromhappeninginthefirstplaceTheACCCproducedshortvideoswhichranonsocialmedia
throughouttheweekandalsohasdedicatedcampaignactivitiesandresourcestostartdiscussions
aboutscamswhichareavailableontheScamwatchwebsite
OverpartnerssupportedScamsAwarenessWeekunderthetheme‘StopscamsSpeakup’
Thecampaignaimedtoencourageconversationabouttheoften-stigmatisedtopicofscamsAseries
ofshortvideosacrosswordquizandagameofscambingohelpedpromotetheScamsAwareness
WeekmessageandsparkconversationsaboutscamsThecampaignwasasuccessandreachedan
estimatedmillionpeopleMoreinformationaboutScamsAwarenessWeekandalistofcampaign
partnersisavailableontheScamwatchwebsite
GlobalAnti-ScamsAlliance–Scamwatchwinsinternationalaward
TheACCCattendsarangeofinternationalforumsandworkinggroupstodiscussscamsandshare
informationabouttrendsScamwatchisamemberworkwiththeinternationalLawEnforcement
Anti-scamsGrouprunviatheGlobalAntiScamAllianceheadquarteredintheNetherlands
ScamwatchwashonouredasScamfightersoftheyearinearlyScamwatchwasawardedthebest
scamfightingorganisationforitsrolein‘providingexcellentandcomprehensiveinformationabouthow

Targeting scams
torecogniseavoidandreportscams’

andfor‘takingaleadroleinthecombatagainstonlinefraud
globally’

ATOcampaigns&Partnership
IntheATOworkedwithServicesAustraliatopublishajointmediareleaseaboutthefirstphishing
scamtargetingmygovID
TheATOsharedinformationandin-languageresourcesaboutscamsandidentityprotectionthrough
itsCommunityLeaderNetworkThisforumprovidesaforumtotalkwithCulturallyandLinguistically
DiverserepresentativesabouttaxandsuperscamsandgenerateideasonhowtheATOcanengage
betterwiththeseaudiencesTheACCCalsopresentedtothenetworkaboutscamsmorebroadly
includinghowtoreporttoScamwatchandsupportservices
TheATOcontinuedpartnershipwithgovernmentagenciesandfinancialinstitutionstopromotebest
practiceforscammanagementthroughrepresentationattheInter-regulatoryscamnetworkfacilitated
byASIC
TheATOcontinuedtorepresenttheATOattheAustralianCommunicationsandMediaAuthority
ScamTechnologyActionTaskforceTheSTATfocusseditsattentiononSMSscamswiththeindustry
body(CommunicationsAlliance)workingtoidentifyanindustrywideframeworktopreventscammers
impersonatingtheSMSalpha-tags

ofwell-knownbrandsandorganisationsTheATOhasworkedwith
avendorpartnertoimplementanalpha-tagblockingpilotacrossalltelecommunicationscompaniesto
blockselectedSMSalpha-tagsunlessitcomesfromanATOapprovedpointoforiginThismirrorsthe
successfulpilotconductedbyServicesAustraliatoprotectthe‘myGov’alphatag
TheATOparticipatedintheACCC’sScamsAwarenessWeekbypublishingarangeofexternaland
internalcommunicationsTakingastorytellingapproachforFacebookandLinkedIninlinewiththe
‘StopScamsSpeakUp’themetheATOdescribedascamreportwhereacashierhadhelpedsomeone
avoidbuyinggiftcardsforafaketaxdebtscamThisapproachperformedwellintermsofengagement
andcommentary
InNovembertheATOrantheirannualinternalSecurityIntegrityandFraudAwarenessweekevent
whichgivesstatheopportunitytoreflectontheirapproachtosecurityintegrityandfraudawareness
andarmwe’remakinggooddecisionsAninternalwebinaron‘apartnershipforscamprevention’was
presentedbyATOCyberDirectorFionaHomanandDeliaRickardACCCDeputyChair
TheATOfacilitatedthequarterlyCyberSecurityStakeholderGroup(CSSG)thatbringstogetherkey
stakeholdersfromtaxprofessionalgovernmentandindustrybodiestodiscussemergingscamand
cyberrisksandpromoteeectivemitigationstrategies
TheATOhascontinuedworkonatargetedinnovativecampaignworkingwithretailerstoaddress
scamsusingparticularpaymentmethodswhichwilllaunchin
ServicesAustralia
ServicesAustraliawasabletopreventitsimpersonationinsenderIDsintextmessagesbyusingthe
blockingfunctionalityinTelstra’s‘CleanerPipes’

initiativeThroughthisinitiativeitexpandedthe
protectionformutualServicesAustraliaandTelstracustomerswithOptusTPGTelecom(Vodafone)
andPivotelalsoapplyingsimilartechnologicalsolutionsinMarchTheseorganisationscollectively
blockedattemptstoimpersonateaServicesAustraliasenderIDinServicesAustraliaremains
activemembersoftheScamsTechnologyActionTaskforceandcontributetoothertechnological
solutionstoscams
 CindyLiebesCybercrimeSupportNetwork
 MitchelChangTrendMicro
 AnalphatagprovidestheabilitytogiveSMSmessagesaunique‘sender’namewhichcanincludedigitstextandsome
specialcharactersusinganalphanumericsenderID
 CleanerPipesisaninitiativeofTelstrawhichwasdesignedtopreventtheftofpersonalinformationlikeloginsblockthe
spreadofmalwareandpreventcustomerspassinginfectionsontotheirowncontactsItcommencedinandinvolved
thefilteringofmalwarecommunicationsandblockingthemastheytrytocrossTelstrainfrastructure

Targeting scams
ServicesAustraliaupdatedits‘BewareofScams’factsheetwhichisnowavailableinlanguagesAn
additionallanguagewasaddedtoassistwiththearrivalofAfghanevacueesinlate
ServicesAustraliaraisedawarenessofscamsviain-languageSBSradiosegmentstoassistculturally
andlinguisticallydiversecustomersThesesegmentswereaimedatgeographicalareaswherespecific
communitieswerebeingtargetedbyscamactivityMulticulturalServiceOcersworkedtohelpraise
scamawarenessinthesecommunities
InFebruarytheServicesAustralialaunchedaCurrentScamsAlertpageontheirpublicwebsite
tosupportindividualstoidentifyordetermineiftheyreceivedscamcontactSinceFebruarythis
pagehasbeenvisitedovertimes
WAScamnet
InWAScamNetreportedandremovedthefollowing
BankAccounts
SocialMediaPages
Websites
Emailaccounts
WAScamNetassistedvictimstorecoverinfundslosttoscammers
u CasestudyWAScamNet–ShippingContainerSalesscam
VictimsrespondedtoadvertisementsforshippingcontainersthroughFacebookMarketplace
andGumtreewheretheywerethendirectedtoawebsitewhichclaimstobesellingshipping
containersatdiscountedprices
VictimswerepresentedwithABNinformationoflegitimatebusinessesonthewebsiteandin
correspondenceandweredirectedtopayviabanktransfer
Oncepaymentwasreceivedminimalupdateswereprovidedonthearrivalofthecontainer
Victimsalsoreportedfurtherdemandsforfundsduetoissueswiththedeliverysuchaspaying
customfeesinsurancefeesetc
WebsitesidentifiedbyWAScamNetwereusingstolenABNdetailswithinthecontentofthe
websitesandoninvoicesprovidedtovictimstobuildtrustthatthepurchasewaslegitimate
WAScamNetsentletterstoABNholderstoinformthemthattheirdetailswereusedonascam
websitesellingshippingcontainersandencouragedthemtowarnconsumersWAScamNet
reportedthescamwebsitestothedomainandwebhoststohavethemshutdownTheyalso
reportedthebankaccountsusedinthescamtolimittheimpactonconsumersandassistthose
whohadsentfundstopotentiallyobtainarefundThescamwebsiteswerealsolistedonthe
ScamNetwebsiteandanemailwarningsenttosubscribers

Targeting scams
ExamplesofLawEnforcement
ActionsfromlawenforcementinAustraliainclude
InDecembertheAFParrestedpeopleinSydneyinconnectionwithamoneylaundering
operationthatworkedthroughcryptocurrencyexchangesAustralianpolicealsoledanoperation
tocombatamoneylaunderingschemebyworkingwithpoliceincountriesTheycharged
Australianswithmoneylaunderingandblockedmillionfrombeingcleaned

InMaymenwerejailedforconningmorethanoutofvulnerableelderlyVictorians
aspartofanelaborateroofingscamfromTheCountyCourtorderedthemtospendover
yearsinprisonaftertheyscammedmorethanpeopleSomeofthevictimswerevictimsof
identitytheftastheiridentitieswereusedbythescammerstofacilitatethescamactivity

InAugustVictoriaPolicearrestedandchargedawomanfromBlairgowrieVictoriawith
countsofobtainingpropertydeceptioninrelationtoanonlinepuppyscamsThewoman
advertisedFrenchBulldogpuppiesforsalethroughonlinemarketplacesaskingvictimstopay
substantialdepositsThevictimslostcollectivelyOncethevictimspaidthedepositthe
womanallegedlyrequestedtransportandveterinarycostsleavingvictimswithoutapuppyortheir
moneyback

InAprilaVictorianmanwaschargedaftermorethanpeoplewereallegedlydefrauded
ofalmostthroughastringofpuppyscamsfalseadvertisingononlinemarketplaces
andscamswherethepersonclaimedtobefromtheATOoramobilephonecompanyTheman
isallegedtohaveusedstolenidentitiestoobtainbankaccountstotransfermoneyintoHewas
chargedwithobtainingpropertybydeceptionpossessingproceedsofcrimeandusingafraudulent
document

InOctoberNSWpolicechargedamanafterheallegedlyconductedanelaboratephonescam
worthHemadefakephonecallspretendingtobelawenforcementorafinancialinstitution
Hedemandedmoneyandthreatenedviolenceorarrestfornon-compliance

 httpswwwoccrporgendaily-australian-police-continue-money-mule-arrests-confiscate-cash
 httpswwwabcnetaunews--victoria-trio-jailed-over-roof-scam
 httpswwwmiragenewscommornington-peninsula-police-pounce-on-puppy-scam-
 httpswwwcanberratimescomaustoryvictorian-puppy-scam-suspect-to-face-court
 httpswwwnewscomaunationalman-arrested-over-allegedly-pretending-to-be-law-enforcement-in-elaborate-
phone-scamdf-b-aa-ddc-edbdd

Targeting scams
Appendix : Breakdown of scam categories
by reports and reported loss
Reports by losses
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
Investment scams $17 7,18 4,29 5 9,664 4,068 (42.1%) p169.2%
Dating & romance scams $56,175,428 3,424 1,379 (40.3%) p44.4%
False billing $17, 3 03,66 5 21,545 1,881 (8.7%) q-6.3%
Remote access scams $16,412,258 15,698 1,330 (8.5%) p94.4%
Threats to life, arrest or other $11,07 7, 5 51 32,426 658 (2.0%) q-6.4%
Identity theft $10,159,930 22,354 951 (4.3%) p230.7%
Online shopping scams $8,074,469 20,694 7,436 (35.9%) p9.3%
Classified scams $7,114,830 9,561 3,080 (32.2%) p28.7%
Phishing $4,324,128 71,308 861 (1.2%) p156.0%
Hacking $3,041,484 15,141 547 (3.6%) p114.3%
Jobs & employment scams $2,6 97,5 0 0 3,453 308 (8.9%) p112.6%
Travel, prizes and lottery scams $1,984,215 4,976 322 (6.5%) p1.0%
Pyramid Schemes $1,341,389 487 215 (44.1%) p368.8%
Ransomware & malware $1,172,034 3,623 54 (1.5%) p1,482.2%
Rebate scams $1,145,112 2,046 132 (6.5%) p63.3%
Betting & sports investment
scams $976,214 328 125 (38.1%) q-1.0%
Inheritance and unexpected
money $923,256 1,831 150 (8.2%) q-60.0%
Overpayment scams $841,060 2,027 315 (15.5%) p19.9%
Other scams $690,788 40,970 1,018 (2.5%) p80.8%
Health & medical products $372,014 1,588 289 (18.2%) q-90.5%
Psychic & clairvoyant $358,501 187 89 (47.6%) p55.7%
Fake charity scams $188,457 835 101 (12.1%) p41.5%
Mobile premium services $165,139 2,456 102 (4.2%) p16.7%
Grand Total $323,723,717 286,622 25,411 (8.9%) p84.3%

Targeting scams
Reports by number of reports
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inreportssince
Phishing $4,324,128 71,308 861 (1.2%) p61.8%
Other scams $690,788 40,970 1,018 (2.5%) p30.3%
Threats to life, arrest or other $11,07 7, 5 51 32,426 658 (2.0%) p0.7%
Identity theft $10,159,930 22,354 951 (4.3%) p6.8%
False billing $17, 3 03,66 5 21,545 1,881 (8.7%) p64.2%
Online shopping scams $8,074,469 20,694 7,436 (35.9%) p35.2%
Remote access scams $16,412,258 15,698 1,330 (8.5%) p85.3%
Hacking $3,041,484 15,141 547 (3.6%) p74.2%
Investment scams $17 7,18 4,29 5 9,664 4,068 (42.1%) p32.5%
Classified scams $7,114,830 9,561 3,080 (32.2%) p20.6%
Travel, prizes and lottery scams $1,984,215 4,976 322 (6.5%) p3.0%
Ransomware & malware $1,172,034 3,623 54 (1.5%) q-6.7%
Jobs & employment scams $2,6 97,5 0 0 3,453 308 (8.9%) p17.7 %
Dating & romance scams $56,175,428 3,424 1,379 (40.3%) q-7.7 %
Mobile premium services $165,139 2,456 102 (4.2%) p61.3%
Rebate scams $1,145,112 2,046 132 (6.5%) p12.0%
Overpayment scams $841,060 2,027 315 (15.5%) p22.3%
Inheritance and unexpected
money $923,256 1,831 150 (8.2%) q-19.0%
Health & medical products $372,014 1,588 289 (18.2%) p8.8%
Fake charity scams $188,457 835 101 (12.1%) q-41.4%
Pyramid Schemes $1,341,389 487 215 (44.1%) p20.0%
Betting & sports investment
scams $976,214 328 125 (38.1%) q-26.8%
Psychic & clairvoyant $358,501 187 89 (47.6%) q-18.7%
Grand Total $323,723,717 286,622 25,411 (8.9%) p32.6%

Targeting scams
Appendix : Scam losses by State or
Territory
Australian Capital Territory
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
Investment scams
$3,122,171 299 126 (42.1%) p2 27.8 %
Dating & romance scams
$1,938,272 80 40 (50%) p254.0%
Remote access scams
$487,893 442 42 (9.5%) p181.0%
Threats to life, arrest or other
$325,846 1,317 27 (2.1%) p29.2%
Phishing
$263,229 2,788 26 (0.9%) p520.1%
Overpayment scams
$213,852 66 13 (19.7%) p461.5%
False billing
$196,924 623 47 (7.5%) q-48.1%
Online shopping scams
$182,282 597 234 (39.2%) q-27.6%
Classified scams
$163,468 232 84 (36.2%) q-28.1%
Identity theft
$92,939 650 19 (2.9%) p172.1%
Hacking
$20,346 329 12 (3.6%) p37.0 %
Pyramid Schemes
$18,400 13 4 (30.8%) p30,566.7%
Other scams
$17,182 1,251 33 (2.6%) p16.4%
Jobs & employment scams
$13,599 105 7 (6.7%) p30.1%
Rebate scams
$10,305 117 2 (1.7%) No losses in 2020
Inheritance and unexpected
money $5,851 37 3 (8.1%) q-96.1%
Travel, prizes and lottery scams
$5,421 138 7 (5.1%) q-44.3%
Mobile premium services
$4,352 73 5 (6.8%) No losses in 2020
Psychic & clairvoyant
$1,820 4 2 (50.0%) p574.1%
Health & medical products
$1,779 35 5 (14.3%) q-31.7%
Betting & sports investment
scams $1,520 9 4 (44.4%) q-86.2%
Fake charity scams
$900 34 2 (5.9%) p153.5%
Ransomware & malware
$149 175 1 (0.6%) q-99.1%
Total $7,088,500 9,414 745 (7.9%) p127.0%

Targeting scams
New South Wales
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
Investment scams $61,144,819 2,869 1,126 (39.2%) p276.1%
Dating & romance scams $15,912,178 1,055 422 (40%) p19.0%
False billing $8,542,655 6,794 606 (8.9%) p166.3%
Remote access scams $5,672,547 5,369 408 (7.6%) p105.5%
Identity theft $3,656,950 7,6 74 299 (3.9%) p3 3 7.0 %
Online shopping scams $2,750,482 6,896 2,546 (36.9%) p34.8%
Classified scams $2,207,310 3,088 993 (32.2%) p47.5%
Threats to life, arrest or other $2,132,956 10,468 159 (1.5%) q-27. 4 %
Hacking $1,993,070 5,063 166 (3.3%) p444.9%
Ransomware & malware $1,038,714 1,077 16 (1.5%) p3,991.5%
Phishing $1,019,458 22,754 306 (1.3%) p219.9%
Jobs & employment scams $1,019,262 872 83 (9.5%) p63.4%
Betting & sports investment
scams $726,134 83 30 (36.1%) p340.6%
Travel, prizes and lottery scams $646,832 1,396 85 (6.1%) p124.9%
Rebate scams $392,014 606 45 (7.4%) p68.5%
Pyramid Schemes $313,073 114 43 (37.7%) p444.8%
Other scams $225,240 13,122 304 (2.3%) p100.6%
Inheritance and unexpected
money $213,693 513 37 (7.2%) q-72.8%
Overpayment scams $177,381 691 102 (14.8%) p0.8%
Psychic & clairvoyant $96,149 48 27 (56.3%) p211.3%
Mobile premium services $71,442 866 33 (3.8%) p34.8%
Fake charity scams $70,615 244 28 (11.5%) p11.9%
Health & medical products $57,216 460 91 (19.8%) q-55.6%
Total $110,080,190 92,122 7,955 (8.6%) p137.6%

Targeting scams
Northern Territory
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
Investment scams $9 97,0 85 86 58 (67.4%) p187.9 %
Remote access scams $189,350 122 9 (7.4%) p1,103.1%
Dating & romance scams $136,593 39 20 (51.3%) q-59.2%
Online shopping scams $92,801 195 64 (32.8%) p77.6%
Classified scams $49,489 93 29 (31.2%) p70.1%
Threats to life, arrest or other $40,488 316 6 (1.9%) q-4.2%
False billing $19,005 242 19 (7.9%) p54.3%
Phishing $15,841 704 12 (1.7%) q-15.5%
Identity theft $14,591 193 8 (4.1%) p78.0%
Overpayment scams $9,200 23 3 (13.0%) q- 67.4 %
Hacking $6,714 110 11 (10.0%) p282.3%
Pyramid Schemes $6,400 5 2 (40.0%) p782.8%
Travel, prizes and lottery scams $4,053 63 5 (7.9%) q-38.0%
Inheritance and unexpected
money
$3,700 28 3 (10.7%) q-49.0%
Other scams $3,269 444 9 (2.0%) q-53.4%
Jobs & employment scams $800 25 1 (4.0%) q-79.7%
Health & medical products $309 10 2 (20.0%) q- 87.9 %
Fake charity scams $175 10 1 (10.0%) q-93.0%
Betting & sports investment
scams
$93 1 1 (100.0%) q-84.9%
Rebate scams - 14 0.0% q-100.0%
Psychic & clairvoyant - 2 0.0% q-100.0%
Ransomware & malware - 28 0.0% No losses in 2020
Mobile premium services - 17 0.0% q-100.0%
Total $1,589,956 2,770 263 (9.5%) p71.0%

Targeting scams
Queensland
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
Investment scams $38,195,447 1,532 664 (43.3%) p261.6%
Dating & romance scams $6,703,480 634 220 (34.7%) q-33.8%
Remote access scams $3,335,618 2,754 245 (8.9%) p9.3%
Threats to life, arrest or other $1,866,857 6,207 121 (1.9%) q-38.2%
False billing $1,828,166 4,337 360 (8.3%) p26.9%
Phishing $1,684,825 12,606 134 (1.1%) p684.1%
Classified scams $1,493,390 1,847 507 (27.4%) p44.6%
Online shopping scams $1,211,562 3,549 1192 (33.6%) q-15.1%
Identity theft $463,913 3,774 148 (3.9%) p3 7.7 %
Travel, prizes and lottery scams $261,027 1,020 74 (7.3%) q-50.4%
Jobs & employment scams $239,007 423 49 (11.6%) p43 7.6%
Hacking $223,682 2,923 89 (3.0%) q-30.0%
Inheritance and unexpected
money
$201,108 314 22 (7.0%) q-76.4%
Health & medical products $181,114 267 52 (19.5%) p533.3%
Overpayment scams $138,931 356 66 (18.5%) p19.3%
Other scams $135,302 7,751 196 (2.5%) p115.1%
Rebate scams $107,151 361 20 (5.5%) p28.8%
Pyramid Schemes $103,319 88 34 (38.6%) p1.8%
Betting & sports investment
scams
$72,526 51 15 (29.4%) q- 47.4%
Fake charity scams $42,715 154 18 (11.7%) p213.3%
Ransomware & malware $39,744 704 9 (1.3%) p803.3%
Mobile premium services $22,098 383 15 (3.9%) p16.9%
Psychic & clairvoyant $8,270 22 7 (31.8%) q-49.8%
Total $58,558,252 52,057 4,257 (8.2%) p82.0%

Targeting scams
South Australia
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
Investment scams $10,447,134 647 195 (30.1%) p183.3%
Dating & romance scams $3,622,288 195 76 (39%) p122.4%
Threats to life, arrest or other $903,805 2,232 36 (1.6%) p320.8%
Remote access scams $903,258 1,034 98 (9.5%) p117.9 %
Identity theft $653,374 1,566 68 (4.3%) p75.8%
False billing $505,883 1,562 121 (7.7%) p102.6%
Online shopping scams $502,804 1,323 428 (32.4%) p37.4 %
Jobs & employment scams $496,706 174 21 (12.1%) p3,524.0%
Classified scams $388,013 696 206 (29.6%) p4.8%
Travel, prizes and lottery scams $262,404 403 33 (8.2%) p163.0%
Hacking $239,392 1,089 50 (4.6%) p143.4%
Phishing $145,538 5,290 55 (1.0%) q-5.8%
Rebate scams $58,500 150 8 (5.3%) q-50.0%
Inheritance and unexpected
money $56,586 166 9 (5.4%) p29.7%
Other scams $44,534 2,881 84 (2.9%) p119.8%
Pyramid Schemes $32,952 14 7 (50.0%) q-6.1%
Overpayment scams $28,738 128 12 (9.4%) q-44.6%
Mobile premium services $20,492 160 10 (6.3%) p249.4%
Ransomware & malware $14,192 273 6 (2.2%) p358.0%
Psychic & clairvoyant $12,030 9 5 (55.6%) p2,213.5%
Fake charity scams $11,360 66 12 (18.2%) p48.2%
Health & medical products $10,836 252 29 (11.5%) p40.9%
Betting & sports investment
scams $2,550 26 3 (11.5%) q-89.5%
Total $19,363,369 20,336 1,572 (7.7%) p142.5%

Targeting scams
Tasmania
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
Investment scams $2,461,272 121 48 (39.7%) p356.9%
Dating & romance scams $670,903 61 22 (36.1%) p49.5%
Threats to life, arrest or other $363,821 611 18 (2.9%) p205.6%
Remote access scams $268,308 256 31 (12.1%) p229.1%
False billing $234,531 460 48 (10.4%) q-0.7%
Classified scams $133,476 193 77 (39.9%) p25.0%
Online shopping scams $94,598 394 112 (28.4%) q-35.6%
Identity theft $54,235 380 25 (6.6%) q-43.8%
Hacking $50,865 276 13 (4.7%) p58.5%
Jobs & employment scams $21,400 45 3 (6.7%) p2,979.1%
Betting & sports investment
scams $16,860 25 5 (20.0%) p155.1%
Phishing $14,172 1,323 12 (0.9%) q-24.0%
Travel, prizes and lottery scams $10,184 116 9 (7.8%) q-96.2%
Other scams $6,975 823 20 (2.4%) q-2.7%
Overpayment scams $6,015 36 4 (11.1%) q-29.5%
Rebate scams $4,350 34 3 (8.8%) p4,250.0%
Mobile premium services $2,500 38 2 (5.3%) p8,233.3%
Health & medical products $1,298 29 8 (27.6%) q-15.7%
Psychic & clairvoyant $1,260 2 1 (50.0%) No losses in 2020
Pyramid Schemes $400 5 1 (20.0%) q-76.5%
Ransomware & malware $300 75 1 (1.3%) No losses in 2020
Inheritance and unexpected
money - 25 0.0% q-100.0%
Fake charity scams - 18 0.0% q-100.0%
Total $4,417,723 5,346 463 (8.7%) p108.0%

Targeting scams
Victoria
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
Investment scams $39,403,669 2,057 866 (42.1%) p91.9%
Dating & romance scams $12,392,933 684 351 (51.3%) p67.0 %
Threats to life, arrest or other $4,817,296 8,423 200 (2.4%) q-0.3%
Remote access scams $4,088,136 4,345 352 (8.1%) p39.9%
Identity theft $3,376,205 6,072 283 (4.7%) p244.5%
Online shopping scams $2,460,811 5,516 1,948 (35.3%) p39.9%
False billing $2,201,105 5,319 451 (8.5%) q-26.7%
Classified scams $1,705,524 2,396 818 (34.1%) p0.8%
Phishing $713,250 19,359 194 (1.0%) p3.8%
Pyramid Schemes $594,165 157 89 (56.7%) p4,103.2%
Travel, prizes and lottery scams $475,086 1,180 65 (5.5%) q-12.0%
Rebate scams $415,952 553 37 (6.7%) p63.7%
Hacking $380,597 3,986 141 (3.5%) q-9.4%
Inheritance and unexpected
money $366,930 363 33 (9.1%) q-1.9%
Jobs & employment scams $224,883 718 65 (9.1%) p59.5%
Other scams $135,040 10,711 233 (2.2%) p42.3%
Betting & sports investment
scams $110,389 65 28 (43.1%) q-81.7%
Psychic & clairvoyant $106,892 41 17 (41.5%) q-4.5%
Overpayment scams $103,052 508 63 (12.4%) q-51.6%
Health & medical products $87,336 286 64 (22.4%) q-95.9%
Ransomware & malware $60,685 981 14 (1.4%) p277.7 %
Fake charity scams $38,018 193 17 (8.8%) p12.0%
Mobile premium services $31,015 686 22 (3.2%) q-19.8%
Total $74,288,969 74,599 6,351 (8.5%) p51.3%

Targeting scams
Western Australia
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
Investment scams $11,868,515 859 333 (38.8%) p148.0%
Dating & romance scams $2,720,039 244 114 (46.7%) p32.5%
False billing $2,193,645 2,087 177 (8.5%) p149.7%
Remote access scams $1,387,979 1,290 120 (9.3%) p300.1%
Classified scams $884,499 907 312 (34.4%) p132.6%
Threats to life, arrest or other $574,491 2,737 80 (2.9%) p129.4%
Online shopping scams $573,383 1,692 574 (33.9%) p23.8%
Phishing $404,140 6,051 82 (1.4%) p109.4%
Identity theft $357,779 1,889 85 (4.5%) p213.0%
Travel, prizes and lottery scams $221,213 516 26 (5.0%) p9.2%
Pyramid Schemes $171,198 35 17 (48.6%) p243.4%
Rebate scams $145,124 189 12 (6.3%) p3,889.1%
Overpayment scams $136,386 159 23 (14.5%) p248.8%
Psychic & clairvoyant $117,729 25 11 (44.0%) p974.3%
Hacking $114,648 1,261 46 (3.6%) q-22.4%
Other scams $105,796 3,681 89 (2.4%) p192.3%
Jobs & employment scams $72,079 850 22 (2.6%) q-70.3%
Inheritance and unexpected
money $31,150 137 8 (5.8%) p152.2%
Health & medical products $25,216 211 29 (13.7%) p187.5%
Betting & sports investment
scams $21,335 28 8 (28.6%) p3.0%
Fake charity scams $20,592 75 15 (20.0%) p405.7%
Ransomware & malware $16,900 282 5 (1.8%) p125.7%
Mobile premium services $11,294 211 10 (4.7%) q-42.3%
Total $22,175,130 25,416 2,198 (8.6%) p115.1%

Targeting scams
Appendix : Scam Reports from
Businesses
Scamtype Reportedlosses

Numberofreports

Numberofreports
withloss
Percentagechange
inlossessince
False billing $6,747,14 8 763 227 (29.8%) q-50.1%
Investment scams $5,100,761 86 20 (23.3%) p204.6%
Classified scams $606,353 207 76 (36.7%) p201.8%
Online shopping scams $335,822 281 97 (34.5%) q-32.4%
Identity theft $174,293 297 21 (7.1%) p205.1%
Phishing $166,635 752 27 (3.6%) p220.1%
Remote access scams $90,504 115 8 (7.0%) p778.7%
Hacking $49,754 166 10 (6.0%) p84.9%
Rebate scams $41,200 23 2 (8.7%) p100.7%
Overpayment scams $38,083 43 6 (14.0%) p64.1%
Ransomware & malware $31,350 54 3 (5.6%) p683.8%
Other scams $13,872 542 30 (5.5%) q-12.9%
Fake charity scams $13,296 56 10 (17.9%) p265.2%
Jobs & employment scams $11,175 50 6 (12.0%) q-93.8%
Health & medical products $9,205 16 1 (6.3%) q-99.6%
Threats to life, arrest or other $5,965 90 4 (4.4%) q-89.4%
Betting & sports investment
scams $4,000 2 2 (100.0%) No losses in 2020
Travel, prizes and lottery scams $100 42 1 (2.4%) No losses in 2020
Dating & romance scams - 2 - q-100.0%
Pyramid Schemes - 1 - q-100.0%
Inheritance and unexpected
money - 23 - q-100.0%
Mobile premium services - 13 - q-100.0%
Total $13,439,516 3,624 551 (15.2%) q-27.0%

Targeting scams
Glossary
Scam terms
ATOimpersonationscams
ScammersareincreasinglyimpersonatingtheAustralianTaxationOceandoeringAustralians
rebatesforoverpaidtaxesorthreateningthemwithlegalactionforunpaidtaxes
Bettingandsportsinvestmentscams(formerlyknownascomputerpredictionsoftwareschemes)
Bettingandsportsinvestmentscamscanincludecomputerpredictionsoftwareorbettingsyndicates
Thesescamstrytoconvincepeopletobetin‘foolproof’systemsthatguaranteeaprofitonsporting
eventssuchasfootballorhorseracing
Businessemailcompromisescams
Pleaserefertopaymentredirectionscamsbelow
Celebrityendorsementscams
Scammersusetheimagenameandpersonalcharacteristicsofawell-knownpersontosellafake
productorserviceOftenscammersalsowritefakenewsarticlesaboutcelebritiesclaimingthatthey
haveendorsedaproductorinvestment
Chineseauthorityscams
ThesescamsoftentargetMandarin-speakingpeopleinAustraliaScammerscontactpeoplebyphone
andimpersonateauthoritiessuchastheChineseembassypoliceorothergovernmentocialsThey
demandthatyoupaymoneytoproveyoudidnotcommitacrimeThesescamsusethreatsdesigned
tofrightenpeopleintopayingthescammerandcanincludethreatsofarrestanddeportation
Classifiedscams
Scammersuseonlineandpaperbasedclassifiedsandauctionsitestoadvertisepopularproducts(even
puppies)forsaleatcheappricesTheywillaskforpaymentup-frontandoftenclaimtobeoverseas
Thescammermaytrytogainvictims’trustwithfalsebutconvincingdocumentsandelaboratestories
Datingandromancescams
Scammerstakeadvantageofpeoplelookingforlovebypretendingtobeprospectivepartnersoften
viadatingwebsitesappsorsocialmediaTheyplayonemotionaltriggerstogetvictimstoprovide
moneygiftsorpersonaldetailsDatingandromancescamscancontinueforyearsandtheyare
increasinglyintroducinginvestmentscamsTheycausedevastatingemotionalandfinancialdamage
Fakecharityscams
ScammersimpersonategenuinecharitiesandaskfordonationsThesescamsareparticularlyprolific
afterpublictragediessuchasnaturaldisastersandothereventssuchasforexamplethe
bushfiresandtheCOVID-pandemic
Falsebillingscams
Falsebillingscammerssendinvoicesdemandingpaymentfordirectorylistingsadvertisingdomain
namerenewalsorocesuppliesthatwereneverorderedTheytendtotargetbusinessesover
individualsThesescamsoftentakeadvantageofbusinesses’limitedresourcesandrelyonthempaying
theamountbeforerealisingtheinvoiceisfake

Targeting scams
Flubot
Flubotismalicioussoftware(malware)thatsendstextmessagestobothAndroidsandiPhonesThe
contentofthetextmessagesvariesbutallmessagescontainalinkThelinkmayasktherecipientto
downloadanapptotrackororganiseatimeforadeliveryhearavoicemailmessageorviewphotos
thathavebeenuploadedDownloadingtheappdownloadsFlubotontotheuser’sdevice
Governmentimpersonationscams
InadditiontoimpersonatingtheATOscammersoftenposeasmyGovorothergovernmentagenciesin
ordertophishforpersonalinformationForinstancescammerssentphishingtextmessagesandemails
purportingtobefromagovernmentagencyaboutCOVID-throughoutthepandemic
Hacking
Hackingoccurswhenascammerusestechnologytobreakintosomeone’scomputermobiledevice
ornetwork
Healthandmedicalproducts
Healthandmedicalproductscamsmaysellvictimshealthcareproductsatlowpricesthattheynever
receiveormakefalsepromisesabouttheirproductssuchasmedicinesandtreatmentsthatwillcure
youorhavespecialhealingproperties
HopeBusinessWonderfulWorldscams
ThesescambusinesseswerethefirstoftheirkindforwhichScamwatchreceivedsignificantreporting
Inthesescamsvictimsareencouragedtosignupfora‘workfromhome’jobwiththepremiseof
earningasignificantamountofmoneyThespecificsofthejobvarybutthescamalwaysmovesto
includethetransferofthevictim’sownmoneytobankaccountsspecifiedbythescammersThe
scamsofteninvolveprofessional-seemingonlinesupportlivechatsandsocialmediadiscussionforums
withotherpeopleparticipatingintheschemeManyoftheotherusersareinfactplacedthereby
thescammer
IntheHopeBusinessscamvictimsthoughttheywerepurchasingitemsfromonlinemerchantsto
increasetheirtracononlinemarketplacesbutinfactweresendingmoneydirectlytothescammers’
bankaccountsInitiallyvictimswouldreceiveafullrefundofthemoneytheysentplusa‘commission’
VictimsreceivedreferralbonusesforsigningupfriendsandfamilymembersScammerseventually
stoppedallowingparticipantstowithdrawanyfundsandencouragedthemtosendmoremoneyto
allowfundswithdrawal
Identitytheft
Identitytheftisfraudthatinvolvesusingsomeoneelse’spersonalinformationtostealmoneyorgain
otherbenefitsIdentitythefthasbecomeasignificantriskinmostscams
Inheritanceandunexpectedmoneyscams
Thesescamsoervictimsthefalsepromiseofmoneyviaaninheritanceorotherunexpected
opportunitytoclaimalargesumofmoneyintheirnametotrickthemintopartingwiththeirmoneyor
sharingtheirbankorcreditcarddetails
Investmentscams
Investmentscammersoerarangeoffakefinancialopportunitiesandthepromiseofhighreturnswith
lowriskThesemayincludefakeinitialstockorcoinoeringsbrokerageservicesoraninvestment
inexpensivesoftwareoronlinetradingplatformsThesescammersoftenusesmooth-talkingglossy
brochuresandprofessional-lookingwebsitestolurevictims
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Targeting scams
Jobsandemploymentscams
Jobsandemploymentscamstrickvictimsintohandingovermoneyorpersonalinformationto
scammerswhileapplyingforanewjobSomeiterationsofthisscamwilloeraguaranteetomakefast
moneyorahigh-payingjobforlittleeort
Migrationscams
ScammersimpersonateAustralianmigrationagentseitherintheirhomecountriesorinAustraliaand
stealapplicants’personalinformationandmoney
Mobilephonenumberporting
Mobilephonenumberportingoccurswhenaphonenumberistransferredfromone
telecommunicationsprovidertoanotherThiscanlegitimatelyoccurwhenaconsumerchangestheir
providertoseekabetterdealandwantstokeeptheirexistingphonenumberScammerscanport
mobilephonenumberswithouttheowner’sknowledgeandsetuptheirownmobilephonetoreceive
theportedphonenumber’smessagesThisisusuallydonetointercept-stepauthenticationmessages
frombanksorotherserviceproviders
Mobilepremiumservices
Scammerswilloftencreatetextmessagecompetitionstotrickpeopleintopayingextremelyhighcallor
textrateswhenreplyingtounsolicitedtextmessagesonmobiles
Onlineshoppingscams
Onlineshoppingscamsinvolvescammerspretendingtobelegitimateonlinesellersbyusingafake
websiteorsettingupafakeprofileonagenuinewebsiteorsocialmediaplatform
Otherbuyingandsellingscams
AnyotherscamnotalreadyidentifiedwheresomethingissupposedlyboughtorsoldWeclassify
scamsintomorespecificcategorieswhereverpossible
Overpaymentscams
Overpaymentscamsworkbygettingvictimstorefundascammerwhohassentthemtoomuchmoney
foranitemtheyaresellingoranitemtheyhavepurchasedonlineandforwhichtheyhavepurportedly
beenchargedtoomuchmoneyThevictimlaterdiscoversthescammerneverpaidtheinitialamountin
thefirstplace
Paymentredirectionscams
Thesescamsaresometimesreferredtoasbusinessemailcompromisescams
ThesescamsinvolvetargetedphishingandhackingofabusinessScammerscommonlysendemails
tothebusiness’clientsrequestingpaymenttoafraudulentaccountoftenbymanipulatinglegitimate
invoicestoincludefraudulentaccountdetailsScammersalsoimpersonateseniorcompanymanagers
requestingmoneytransfersforasupposedlylegitimatebusinesspurposeoremployeesrequestinga
changeofaccountforsalarypayment
Petscams
Scammerscreateafakewebsiteclaimingtosellin-demanddogbreedsorotheranimalsDuring
theCOVID-pandemicbuyerswereunabletoseethedogsinpersonpriortopurchaseOncea
victimpurchasesapuppythescammerwillcontinuetodemandadditionalmoneyforthingssuchas
transportvaccinationsgroominginsuranceandothercostsrelatingtotheanimal
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Targeting scams
Phishing
Phishingscamstrickvictimsintogivingoutpersonalinformationsuchasbankaccountnumbers
passwordscreditcardnumbersandsuperannuationdetailsAcommonformofphishinginvolvesthe
impersonationoftrustedorganisationssuchasbankstelecommunicationsprovidersorgovernment
departmentsThiscanoccurviaemailstextmessagesorwebsitesoroverthephone
Ponzischeme
PonzischemesareinvestmentscamsrelyingonreferralsofnewvictimsInitiallyparticipantswho
havedepositedmoneyreceivedpromisedprofitsorcommissionsontheirinvestmentandareableto
withdrawfundsEventuallythescammersstopallowingvictimstowithdrawfunds
Psychicandclairvoyantscams
Psychicandclairvoyantscamsaredesignedtotrickvictimsintogivingawaytheirmoneyusually
oeringhelpinexchangeforafeeThehelpmaycomeintheformofwinninglotterynumbersalucky
charmtheremovalofacurseorjinxordetailsofsecretwealth
Pyramidschemes
Pyramidschemesareillegalandriskyget-rich-quickschemesInatypicalpyramidschemeamember
paystojoinIftheonlyreturnsfromaschemeareentirelyorsubstantiallyreliantonthemember
convincingotherpeopletojointhenitisapyramidscheme
Ransomwareandmalware
Ransomwareandmalwareinvolvesascammerplacingharmfulsoftwareontoavictim’scomputer
Malwarecanallowscammerstoaccesscomputerstocollectpersonalinformationorjustdamagethe
computerOftenthemalwarewillcausethecomputertofreezeorlockandscammerswilldemanda
paymenttohaveitunlocked(ransomware)Thesescamscantargetbothindividualsandbusinesses
Rebatescams
Scammerscontactavictimpretendingtobefromthegovernmentorautilitycompanybankorother
well-knownentityandclaimthevictimisowedmoneyHoweverscammerssayanup-frontfeemustbe
paidbeforethelargerrebatecanbeprovided
Remoteaccessscams
Thescammercontactstheirvictimclaimingthatthevictim’scomputerisinfectedandthatthescammer
needsremoteaccesstofixtheproblemThescammermaytrytoconvincethevictimthattheyneed
topurchaseantivirussoftwaretoremovetheinfectionortheymayspinacomplexstoryclaiming
theyareworkingwithauthoritiesandneedtomaketransactionsfromthevictim’sbankaccountto
trackscammers
Romancebaiting
AscaminvolvingacombinationofadatingandromancescamwithaninvestmentscamThescammer
initiallycontactsavictimviaadatingappthenquicklymovestheconversationtoanencryptedchat
siteAfterafewweeksofdevelopingarelationshipthescammerwillbeginaskingaboutthevictim’s
financesandencouragethemtoparticipateinaninvestmentopportunity
Spoofing
Spoofinginscamtermsisthepracticeofdisguisingascamcommunication(emailwebsiteorphone
number)toappearasthoughitcamefromatrustedsourceUsuallyscammersspoofgovernment
agenciesbanksorutilitycompanies
Superannuationscams
DuringCOVID-scammersattemptedtotakeadvantageofpeopleinfinancialhardshipbyattempting
tostealtheirsuperannuationorbyoeringunnecessaryfinancialservicesandchargingafee

Targeting scams
Threatstolifearrestorotherthreatbasedscams
Threatstolifearrestorotherscamsinvolvescammersdemandingthatvictimspaymoneythey
supposedlyoweforexampleforataxbillorbecausetheyhavecommittedacrimeandmakingthreats
againstthemiftheydonotcooperateChineseauthorityscamsareanexampleofthistypeofscam
asaresextortionscamsinwhichscammersthreatentoreleaseembarrassingphotosofvictimstotheir
emailorFacebookcontactsunlessthevictimpaysmoney
Travelprizesandlotteryscams
Travelprizesandlotteryscamsareacombinationofthepreviouscategoriesof‘travelprizescams’
‘scratchiescams’and‘unexpectedprizeandlotteryscams’Allofthesecategoriesinvolvedattempts
totrickpeopleintopartingwiththeirmoneytoclaimafreerewardTheserewardscomeeitherfroma
competitionorlotterytheyhadnotenteredorthroughawinningfreelyprovidedscratchieforaholiday
orlargesumoftensentviathemail
Wangiriscams
AscammercallsfromanoverseasnumberandhangsupafteroneringCallingbackthenumber
resultsinpremiumchargesforthecallerandscammerswilltrytokeepcallersonthephoneaslongas
possibleforexamplebyplayingholdmusic
Payment methods
AustraliaPostLoad&Gopre-paiddebitcards
Apre-paidgiftcardstyleMastercarddebitcardLoad&Gocardshavenowbeendiscontinued
Bitcoin
Bitcoinisatypeofcryptocurrency(seebelow)thatiscommonlyusedbyscammers
Cardlesscash
CardlesscashisaserviceprovidedbysomebanksthatallowsyoutowithdrawcashwithoutacardYou
canalsosendcodestootherpeopletowithdrawthecashfromyouraccountonyourbehalf
Cryptocurrency
CryptocurrenciesalsoknownasvirtualordigitalcurrenciesareaformofelectronicmoneyTheydo
notphysicallyexistascoinsornotesVirtualcurrenciescanbeboughtorsoldonanexchangeplatform
usingconventionalmoneyortradedforothervirtualcurrenciesCryptocurrenciesarecommonin
investmentscamsandarealsooftenrequestedasapaymentmethodbyscammers
Ethereum
Ethereumisaglobalopen-sourcepubliclyavailableblockchainplatformEther(ETH)isthe
cryptocurrencyusedontheEthereumnetwork
Skrill
Skrillisane-commercebusinessthatallowsuserstomakepaymentsandtransfermoneyoverthe
internettootherpeopleorbusinessesaroundtheworld
Paymentapps
PaymentappsallowyoutomakepaymentsusingyourphoneTheyallowyoutotransfermoneyquickly
andsecurelytofriendsandfamilywithouttheneedforphysicalmoneyCommonpaymentappsare
CashAppZelleVenmoApplePayandBeemIt
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Targeting scams
SteamgiftcardsandSteamWallets
SteamisavideogamedigitaldistributionserviceItallowsuserstoplaygamesenterdiscussionforums
andcreatetheirowngames
SteamisfreebutifpeoplewishtoplaygamesoraccessothercontenttheremaybecostsSteam
WalletisanonlinemethodallowingpeopletopayforgamesUserscanaddvaluetoSteamWalletsby
creditcardpaymentorbypurchasingSteamgiftcardsinstores
Ukash
Ukashwasanelectronicmoneysystemthatalloweduserstoexchangetheircashforasecurecodeto
makepaymentsonlineIthasbeenacquiredbySkrillGroup(seeabove)
WorldRemit
WorldRemitisanonlinemoneytransferservicethatprovidesinternationalremittanceservices
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Targeting scams