| Date | Title | Description |
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| Feb 4, 2026 | AI voice cloning scams cost Australians AUD $25.8m | |
| Jun 4, 2025 | Navigating the Scam Call Crisis: Lessons from Australia for South Africa | Scam calls are like weeds in a garden. They sprout up, invade, and threaten to choke the life out of legitimate communication. In South Africa, the problem is rampant. But across the ocean, Australia has managed to tame this invasive specie... |
| Jun 2, 2025 | Scam call epidemic: lessons for South Africa from Down Under | The Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) has reduced complaints about scam calls from just over 14 000 in 2021 to 966 for the first nine months of its current financial year. Similarly, complaints about scam SMSes have also ... |
| Apr 29, 2025 | Australian investors lose AUD $945 million to cyber scams | |
| Apr 16, 2025 | Fraud against Australian businesses on the rise, report finds | |
| Nov 5, 2024 | The Untapped Goldmine: Australian Banks and the SME Sector | In the vast landscape of Australian banking, a golden opportunity lies buried beneath the surface. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the lifeblood of the economy, yet banks are missing the mark. A recent report by Publicis Sapient rev... |
| Nov 5, 2024 | Join the fight against cyber crime: Enrol in Cyber Wardens training for free | Cybersecurity is now a top concern for small businesses, as rising costs put even greater pressure on their operations. Recent research by the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia (COSBOA) and the Cyber Wardens program highl... |
| Aug 19, 2024 | 20 scam sites a day: ASIC counts 7,300 takedowns, urges Australians to watch out for dodgy offers | Source: Adobe Stock article-article-body
Australia’s investments watchdog says it has struck down 20 phishing and investment scam websites every day for the past year, showing the continued prevalence of dodgy operators in the local market.... |
| Jun 12, 2024 | Stop, scammers time: SMEs warned as 90s tax time scams make a comeback | Retro tax-time scams, much like 90s fashion is making a comeback, says Bendigo Bank. Source: Adobe Stock. article-article-body
Cargo pants and bucket hats are not the only icons of the 90s that are making a comeback; even tax-time scammers ... |
| May 2, 2024 | What the government can do to stop Australians from losing $5,200 a minute to scams | Source: joshua hoehne/unsplash. article-article-body
What if the government was doing everything it could to stop thieves making off with our money, except the one thing that could really work?
That’s how it looks when it comes to scams, wh... |
| Apr 29, 2024 | Australians lose $2.74 billion to scams, social media fraud up 17% | Source: Adobe Stock article-article-body
Australians’ annual losses to scams have fallen for the first time in seven years as the government steps up its campaign to stop people being fleeced.
The insight comes in the annual Targeting Scams... |
| Nov 29, 2023 | Ombudsman warns small businesses to beware of scammers | The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, (ASBFEO) Bruce Billson is urging business owners to strengthen their security as scammers ramp up their activity over the holiday period.
The ombudsman is suggesting business ow... |
| Nov 10, 2023 | ASIC squashes 2,500 scam websites with new take-down powers | Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones. Source: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas article-article-body
Australia’s corporate regulator has put new website take-down powers to use in recent months, ‘knocking out’ more than... |
| Oct 23, 2023 | Fake website scams: Gorman, Frankie Says Relax issue warnings over imitation sites | A photo from a genuine Gorman campaign. Source: Gorman article-article-body
Australian fashion label Gorman has once again warned customers to beware of imitation sites after scammers tricked buyers into purchasing items from a fake digital... |
| Oct 23, 2023 | A PayID scam is all over Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree. Here’s how to avoid it | Source: Adobe Stock article-article-body
You’ve done it. You’ve finally bought that new sofa you wanted so much. The old one is still perfectly good to sit on, so you jump online to try and get a little bit of cash for it.
Every day, thousa... |
| Oct 23, 2023 | Business warned after 740% increase in employment scams | Source: Getty Images via Canva.com article-article-body
Job scams are on the rise and Australians are being warned to be wary, with losses since January this year reaching $20 million.
Financial Services Minister Stephen Jones says the Nati... |
| Apr 17, 2023 | Scammers stole more than $3 billion from Australians in 2022 | Aussies have lost a record $3.1 billion to financial scammers in 2022. However, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) suggests the real figure is likely to be much higher with an estimated 30 per cent of scams going unre... |
| Nov 10, 2022 | Small businesses lost over $6.6 million to scammers; ACCC warns of worse to come | The ACCC is urging all small businesses to protect their information when using digital and online tools as false billing and phishing scams increase.
The ACCC revealed that between January and September 2022, Scamwatch received more than 1... |
| Nov 7, 2022 | Scammers are assailing small businesses on multiple fronts say ACCC | With Australians facing a hefty $4 billion scam bill this year, small businesses across the country are being urged to learn the tricks of the trade and arm themselves against scammers.
Today marks the start of the Australian Competition an... |
| Jul 12, 2022 | Fresh SMS scam rules and telco penalties unveiled by Australian communication watchdog | Australia’s telecommunications watchdog has registered new rules requiring telcos to identify, track, and block scam SMS attempts, days after warning consumers about a new tide of fake job offer scams being shared via text message.
On Tuesd... |
| Jul 7, 2022 | Ransomware, phishing and identity theft: Five scam trends Aussies are falling victim to | Source: Unsplash/Priscilla du Preez.
Greed, desire, wishful thinking and naivety are lucrative markets for scam artists — and their age-old hustles are increasingly being supplemented by digital chicanery.
In 2021 Australians lost an estima... |
| May 23, 2022 | The most common online scams in Australia | By Contributor
Mon, 23rd May 2022
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Online scammers no longer simply prey on society's most vulnerable. No one is safe from online scammers, and many of these scammer... |
| Apr 27, 2022 | Thousands of Facebook users caught up in Woolworths scam promising free groceries | Thousands of Facebook users have been caught up in the latest attempt by scammers to impersonate supermarket giant Woolworths, after a fake Facebook page offered shoppers the chance to receive a free box of groceries if they shared a post o... |
| Feb 7, 2022 | Crypto Theft Is On The Rise. Here’s How The Crimes Are Committed, And How You Can Protect Yourself | crypto. Shutterstock |
| Feb 7, 2022 | Crypto Theft Is On The Rise. Here’s How The Crimes Are Committed, And How You Can Protect Yourself | crypto. Shutterstock
News emerged overnight of the potential theft of more than US$326 million (A$457.7 million) of Ethereum tokens from a blockchain bridge (which connects two blockchains so cryptocurrency can be exchanged between them).
I... |
| Oct 11, 2021 | Australians lose over $100 million to investment scams in 2021; Q3 hits a record high | With investment opportunities opening to many people in the past year, the number of malicious players targeting to defraud unsuspecting victims has also risen. In this line, Australians have lost a significant amount of money to investment... |
| Sep 22, 2021 | Fallen victim to delivery and post office text scams? Here’s what you can do about it | Source: Unsplash/Priscilla du Preez.
For most people, the ping of an incoming SMS will induce some level of excitement — or mild intrigue at least. But with SMS scams on the rise, many may now be meeting this same sound with trepidation.
Ac... |
| Jul 14, 2021 | Why Are Financial Services Much Riskier in The West? | People were being scammed prior to the advances of the internet and technology in general, and it has only gotten worse as the internet has become more widely used.
People are constantly being threatened by scams and deceptive activities, b... |
| Jun 18, 2021 | Beware of ATO scams: they are everywhere this year! | The end of the financial year is near. So all of us — especially those scrambling at the last minute to get their receipts in order — should keep an eye out for the accompanying onslaught of tax scams.
Posing as the Australian Taxation Offi... |
| Jun 7, 2021 | Australians lost a record $851 million to scams in 2020, with Bitcoin fraud rising up the ranks | Australians lost a record $851 million to scams in 2020, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission reports.
The COVID-19 pandemic and widespread lockdowns left victims financially and emotionally vulnerable to financial exploitat... |
| Apr 6, 2021 | Facebook data leak: How to know if your business has been affected, and what to do next | Source: Unsplash/Brett Jordan.
The personal data of more than 533 million Facebook users has been leaked online. But, if you’re a business owner, there are a few things you can do to make sure your professional page is as safe as possible.
... |
| Mar 30, 2021 | Australians lose $65M to investment scams in 2020, projected to hit $100M in 2021 | More fraudsters continue to orchestrate sophisticated scams stealing significant amounts of money from vulnerable victims. Data acquired by Finbold indicates that Australians lost $65 million (AUD) to investment scams across 2020, with the ... |
| Jun 23, 2020 | Aussies losing on average $11k to scammers: 5 steps to avoid the cons | The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released its annual Targeting Scams report. The report reveals small business owners are losing up to $11k on average to scammers.
The report suggests con artists find small busi... |
| Sep 18, 2019 | Telstra bill? Bin it. Australian inboxes targeted by sophisticated phishing scam | A new phishing scam posing as Telstra is targeting Australian inboxes and all recipients are urged to delete the email immediately.
First noticed on Monday by online security firm MailGuard, the scam is especially sophisticated thanks to th... |
| Jul 23, 2019 | Australians lost $16m to ID theft so far this year | Australians have already lost $16 million to Identity theft and phishing-related scams this year, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The ACCC's deputy chair Delia Rickard urged Australians that had lost money t... |
| May 3, 2019 | Scams costing small business millions: Dodge these ones to avoid falling prey | The ACCC’s Targeting Scams Report has revealed small business with fewer than 20 staff are the targets of 75 per cent of scams. Despite increased awareness of the need for cybersecurity, Australian businesses reported more than 5800 scams w... |
| Mar 1, 2019 | Seven ways the government can make Australians safer — without compromising online privacy | Source: AAP/Mick Tsikas.
By Damien Manuel, Deakin University
When it comes to data security, there is an inherent tension between safety and privacy. The government’s job is to balance these priorities with laws that will keep Australians s... |
| Sep 28, 2018 | Perth car dealership loses $65,000 to invoice scam despite best security practices | A Perth-based car dealership has been slammed with a $65,000 loss after falling victim to an invoice scam, despite taking best efforts to verify the invoice as legitimate.
In a warning posted by the Western Australian government’s Departmen... |
| Aug 22, 2018 | NAB and Amex banking customers targeted in slew of “well-designed” phishing scams | Aussie customers of banking and finance institutions American Express and NAB have been targeted in a slew of “well-designed” malicious phishing email attacks.
These attacks were picked up by local cybersecurity firm Mailguard, and targeted... |
| Aug 20, 2018 | How fraud works: The successful techniques of scamming | By Cassandra Cross, Queensland University of Technology
It is easy for those of us who have ignored emails from Nigerian princes or refused to transfer money on behalf of an online love interest to scroll past stories about scams, thinking ... |
| May 25, 2018 | ACCC says more business falling prey to scammers | The ACCC’s annual Scamwatch report has found scammers have swindled close to 4.7 million from Australian businesses during 2017.
The report also found an alarming 23 per cent increase in scam activity.
“Scammers don’t discriminate and busin... |
| Jan 31, 2018 | Text message scams are on the rise and it’s costing Australians thousands of dollars | Phishing scams have surged in 2017 and scammers are often posing as trusted local brands, increasingly sending text messages directly to mobile phones in the hope of fooling Australians.
Despite increased awareness — with reports to the con... |
| Oct 9, 2017 | Small businesses urged to up their cyber-security | Minister for Small Business Michael McCormack is encouraging Aussie small businesses to take part in Stay Smart Online Week to understand the practical steps they can take to protect themselves from cybercrime.
The Minister said more small ... |
| Feb 17, 2017 | Slick phishing campaign targets NSW govt suppliers | The NSW government is putting its registered suppliers on high alert that a sophisticated phishing email is currently in circulation with the apparent goal of trying to break into the state’s private procurement systems.
NSW Procurement has... |
| Feb 13, 2017 | How email filters can improve malware protection | Spam has been around since the earliest days of email. While many spam messages are poorly written and reek of malicious intent, others are less conspicuous. Cyber-criminals can slyly embed malware and ransomware into emails that can do ser... |
| Oct 24, 2016 | Microsoft warns of malware dressed up as Security Essentials | A new Windows malware masquerading as a Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) installer is making the rounds on the internet, attempting to trick users into contacting tech support scammers for paid assistance.
Microsoft said the malware, whi... |
| Aug 24, 2016 | What happens when Australians try to report online fraud | By Cassandra Cross, Queensland University of Technology and Kelly Richards, Queensland University of Technology
Reporting a crime should not be as traumatic as the experience of the crime itself. But unfortunately this is the sad reality fo... |
| Aug 23, 2016 | The victims’ verdict: what happens when they try to report online fraud | |
| Jul 21, 2015 | ACSC issues AusPost, AFP ransomware warning | The Australian Cyber Security Centre has issued a warning to web users to be wary of a growing and evasive ransomware threat masquerading behind Australia Post and Australian Federal Police domains.
The government-run infosec authority said... |
| Mar 8, 2015 | 11 tips to protect yourself from real estate scams | Real estate investment seminars are in the spotlight again with the competition watchdog instituting proceedings against property training company We Buy Houses and best-selling author Rick Otton.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Com... |
| Dec 15, 2014 | Love hurts: the costly reality of online romance fraud | Online dating and romance scams continue to lure in Australians with figures this week showing people have lost more than A$23 million this year alone, with average individual losses at A$21,000 – three times higher than other types of frau... |
| Nov 5, 2014 | ACCC issues warning over hoax as scammers pretend to be government officials | The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has warned about a recent series of hoax emails claiming the recipient is entitled to a payment from the consumer watchdog, as reports mount of scammers impersonating government officials.
... |
| Aug 27, 2014 | Domain name scams continue to take SMEs for a ride | Earlier this week I received an email from a solo operator client of mine querying a domain name registration notice she had received.
A domain name provider had mailed her a document looking awfully like a renewal invoice offering her the ... |
| Jun 27, 2014 | FRIDAY TIDBITS: (NOT) Pyramid schemes, and startups on the small business agenda? | Founder Institute
It was an innocent enough question on the Silicon Beach mailing list: “I’d love any feedback anyone has about the Founder Institute” (FI), but it unleashed a rather colourful forum discussion around “pyramid schemes” and “... |
| Mar 20, 2014 | How to report a phishing site | Have you stumbled upon a phishing site? Perhaps it’s a fake website pretending to be one of the major banks in a bid to get credit card details. Or it might be a lottery scam.
Here’s what you should do next.
Get daily business news.
The lat... |
| Dec 3, 2012 | Beware of the banker | Earlier today, Old Taskmaster received an email purportedly from one of the big four banks:
“Due to your recent account activity, you need to confirm that the last transactions were made by you or another authorized user of the account. You... |
| Dec 8, 2010 | Eftpos fraud triples in one year | Eftpos fraud has almost tripled in the last financial year due to skimming and electronic forgery, according to new figures from the Australian Payments Clearing Association.
According to the APCA, the total value of counterfeit debit card ... |
| Nov 25, 2010 | 10 government start-up services you need to know | This week, a government report revealed that many small businesses aren’t aware of the free help available to them to avoid costly disputes.
While just 19% of firms use government hotlines or websites to resolve a rift with another business... |
| Dec 1, 2009 | Scammers, spammers & spivs | I got an email yesterday from a journalist who wanted to know about scams and dodgy websites. Basically the question was: “Is there a resource you use to understand whether something is right, wrong or just a scam?”. Well there isn’t any pa... |
| Aug 18, 2008 | Spams, scams and suspicions | I decided to have a look at some of the rubbish in my spam folder… there are some pretty nasty traps for the unwary. Don’t be one of them. PAUL WALLBANK
By Paul Wallbank
In a classic case of “practice what I preach, not what I do”, I read t... |
| Feb 25, 2008 | Scammers targeting small business | Small businesses are being targeted by sophisticated fraudsters using techniques such as false invoicing to fool victims into sending money, a new report by the national consumer watchdog reveals.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Com... |
| CBA, Vodafone team up in SMS scam initiative | The Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Vodafone Australia have teamed up under a new partnership to share “scam intelligence” to improve their ability to block scam activity.
The two kicked off a pilot that will see both parties share SMS i... |
| Gov under pressure to make SMS anti-scam register mandatory | Australian banks and organisations exploited by SMS scammers, and the telcos asked to filter and block scams, want a mandatory sender ID registry, but the government has reserved its decision.
The government announced today it will take an ... |
| Cyber criminals are exploiting out-of-office emails to scam small businesses | Source: Unsplash/Jefferson Santos.
Something as simple as including holiday details in your out-of-office email could give cyber criminals an edge over your business, SME experts warn, as the methods used by digital crooks become increasing... |
| Five Australians arrested in global raid on phishing kit seller LabHost | The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has arrested five men as part of a global raid on a cyber-criminal gang linked to industrial-scale phishing.
The sting relates to the website LabHost, which was used to steal personal information from 94,... |
| Scams in Australia wreak $436m in damage | Australians lost over AU$634 million ($436.2 million) to scams in 2019 with business email comprise and investment fraud the main culprits.
According to the latest figures in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) ‘Targ... |
