Older Australians are being urged to watch out for scammers both on the phone and online, with people aged 65 and over losing $49.1 million so far this year.
Scammers are hoodwinking Aussies into giving up personal and financial details, often by posing as representatives of big companies like Amazon and eBay and saying large purchases have been made on their credit cards before offering to “process a refund”.
The FluBot malware scam, which sends text messages with links to fake voicemails and parcel tracking that install malicious software on victims’ phones, has also exploded this year, with 13,000 reports to Scamwatch in just eight weeks.
According to ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard, scammers have been conning people out of more and more money – so it’s important to stay vigilant.
“Remember, you never know who you are dealing with online. Scammers often pretend to be from a well-known organisation, such as a bank or the government, and they will pretend to offer you something such as money or a benefit, or claim that you are in trouble.
“Do not click on any links in messages that come to you out of the blue, and never provide any of your personal or banking details to someone you don’t personally know and trust,” she said, adding that if something seems legitimate, you should search for the institution’s contact details yourself rather than calling back on the provided number.
Australians have reported a total $211 million in losses to Scamwatch this year, up 89 per cent on last year.
