The 10 things to look out for if you think you are being scammed

If you get scammed, it will be for love or money - and you won’t be alone with 601,000 scams reported by Australians in 2023, costing nearly $3billion. How to combat scams if you fall for one

Dr Gaelle Brotto outlines the 10 things to look out for if you think you are being scammed. Photo: Supplied

If you’re going to get scammed, it will be for love or money.

And it’s a matter of when, not if, for most of us when it comes to being approached by scammers.

Australians reported 601,000 cyber scams in 2023 and cybercrime is predicted to cost the nation $2.74 billion each year.

But research shows around 66 per cent of people impacted never bother to report when they are victims of a scam.

For some it’s because they don’t know where to report or don’t see the point as nothing can be done. But for a large proportion it’s due to the shame and stigma they feel for falling for a scam.

Dr Gaelle Brotto is Assistant Professor Faculty of Society and Design at Bond University and her research examines the psychological and sociological dimensions of criminal behaviour, victimisation patterns and violence prevention.

The stark reality is that anyone can fall victim to a scam. The Australian Institute of Criminology’s comprehensive Cybercrime in Australia 2023 report makes that clear.

The rise of Artificial Intelligence and leaps in technological ability to fake audio, video and imagery online, means scams are becoming even more pervasive and harder to detect.

One surprising statistic from the report is that those who rated their knowledge of technology as ‘very high’ had the highest prevalence of cybercrime victimisation in the past year, with 36.3 per cent experiencing online abuse and harassment.

Younger people, First Nations, non-English speakers, and people with a disability also experienced higher rates.

Even confident, frequent internet users regularly fell victim to scams, alongside regular users of online subscriptions and streaming platforms, dating apps and online marketplaces.

Investment scams were the costliest, causing $1.3 billion in losses.

Investment scammers offer fake opportunities to invest money with the promise of high returns and low risk – these might be impostor bond scams, initial public offering scams and money recovery scams.

People also reported losing $256 million to remote access scams or ‘phishing’ where a malicious actor has accessed systems from another location, often with the victim’s help by tricking them into downloading a link or software.

Then there are the romance scams – using the guise of a romantic relationship to obtain a reward. Targeting emotions is a powerful tool and these scams have cost victims more than $202 million.

Twenty-two per cent of small business owners/operators reported harm to their business from cybercrime.

Unhappy young woman frustrated with scam. Photo: Supplied

Along with the financial impacts, businesses also reported other types of harm from cybercrime. Almost a quarter had everyday business functions disrupted, and 26 per cent reported they had incurred extra expenses or experienced harm to their revenue and reputation.

Ten per cent reported loss of information, along with negative impacts on staff (five per cent) and legal or regulatory ramifications.

The non-financial impacts on victims of cybercrime can be even more severe.

They can affect physical and mental health, including a decline in emotional wellbeing and increase of depression, relationship breakdown, loss of work, homelessness, and in the most extreme cases, suicidal ideation and suicide.

One of the more tragic recent cases involved a 17-year-old boy who committed suicide after being blackmailed in an online ‘sextortion’ scam.

Nearly 10 per cent of those surveyed as part of the Australian Institute of Criminology’s Cybercrime in Australia 2023 said they had been sent explicit messages, images or videos.

Almost five per cent reported someone hacking into their social media or network accounts and 3.7 per cent reported someone sending or posting messages that made them feel hurt, embarrassed or unsafe.

While around half the perpetrators were strangers, almost a quarter were friends, former friends, partners, former partners, and family members, the survey found.

Falling for a cyberscam is something that can happen to anyone, anytime. The internet is such an integral part of our everyday lives it is impossible to avoid.

There’s no shame in reporting it, or in asking for help to deal with the impacts.

Actions we can all take include staying informed of the various cyberscams going around; and knowing what to do and where to go if we think we’ve fallen for a cybercriminal.

I think I’ve been scammed – what should I do?

1. Do not rush. Scammers will make you feel it needs to happen now.

2.Think: Do I actually know this person? How can I verify their identity?

3. Protect: Contact your bank if you feel you have shared information that could be prejudicial.

4. Report to Scamwatch (www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam) so others do not fall to the same scam

5. Keep software, antivirus software and operating systems updated.

6. Never open attachments in spam emails.

7. Do not give out personal information unless secure.

8. Recognise phishing signs: Be wary of suspicious emails or messages and avoid clicking on unknown links.

9. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

10. Block contact from scammers, report scams to your bank, and warn family.

Dr Gaelle Brotto is Assistant Professor Faculty of Society and Design at Bond University and her research examines the psychological and sociological dimensions of criminal behaviour, victimisation patterns and violence prevention.

Originally published as The 10 things to look out for if you think you are being scammed