Phishing scams: Warning as Australians lose record $31M to scams in June

Police have warned of a recent spate of phone scams during Sydney’s lockdown as new figures show Australians lost a staggering $31 million to scams last month.

Police have warned of a recent spate of phone scams during Sydney’s lockdown as new figures show Australians lost a staggering $31.4 million to scams last month.

It was the highest monthly loss figure ever reported, according to Scamwatch.

Australians lost a staggering $31.4 million to scams last month. Photo Derrick Den Hollander

More than $16 million was lost in investment scams which included fake investment cold calls, share promotions, and superannuation scams.

Dating and romance scams were the second most reported scams with victims being slugged $5.8 million.

Phishing scams was the most reported scam last month with 5,445 reports.

Top 10 scams by amount in month of June. Source: Scamwatch

Top 10 scams by report in month of June. Source: Scamwatch

More than $213,000 was lost in phishing scams which refers to scammers pretending to be from a legitimate business such as a bank, telco or government agency.

It comes as local police have warned the public about victims being targeted in phishing phone scams in Sydney’s northwest.

Hills police allege an elderly woman received a phone call from a woman who purported to be from the Australian Federal Police investigating a money-laundering scheme.

She was then allegedly told to transfer $4500 to a NAB account before being asked to purchase 5 $500 Coles gift vouchers along with pictures of the cards.

Hills police have warned the public of victims being targeted in phishing phone scams in Sydney’s northwest.

To report a scam, contact Scamwatch

TIPS TO PROTECT YOU FROM PHISHING SCAMS

• Don’t click on hyperlinks in text/social media messages or emails, even if they appear to come from a trusted source
• Never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for personal or financial details — just press delete or hang up
• Never provide a stranger remote access to your computer, even if they claim to be from a telco company such as Telstra or the NBN Co
• To verify the legitimacy of a contact, find them through an independent source such as a phone book, past bill or online search

Source: Scamwatch