The National Anti-Scam Centre is urging Australians who have had money stolen by scammers to be wary of offers to recover their money for an upfront fee.
Between December 2023 and May 2024, Scamwatch received 158 reports with total losses of over $2.9 million, including losses from the original scam with reports that involve money recovery elements on the rise.
Victims of previous scams are easily identified by criminals who commonly keep and sell information about individuals they’ve exploited with Australians aged 65 and older being the largest reporting group, suffering the highest average losses.
ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe says criminals prey on people who have already been victims of a scam who hope to get their money back adding they’re another example of scammers’ willingness to exploit people’s desperation at a vulnerable moment
