Australians Lost over AU$2 Billion to Scams in 2021

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) revealed on Monday that reported losses of Australians on scams mounted to nearly AU$1.8 billion (around $1.23 billion) in 2021. Additionally, it mentioned that one-third of the scam victims do not report their losses, taking the total losses far beyond AU$2 billion ($1.37 billion).

The report was published by collecting data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber and 12 financial organizations and other government agencies. While the number of reports to Scamwatch saw a yearly surge of 33 percent, the lost amount soared by 84 percent.

“We also know that the true cost of scams is far more than just financial. It leads to emotional stress and can have life-changing consequences for many individuals, families and businesses,” the report published by ACCC detailed.

Record Investment Scams

Out of the total reported figure, investment scams dominated with AU$701 million in losses, followed by payment redirection scams and romance scams each of which led to AU$227 million and AU$142 million, respectively.

In addition, the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies Cryptocurrencies By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the networks which are used to authenticate blockchain technology. Cryptocurrencies can be thought of as systems that accept online payments which are denoted as “tokens.” Tokens are represented as internal ledger entries in blockchain technology while the term crypto is used to depict cryptographic methods and encryption algorithms such as public-private key pairs, various hashing functions, and an elliptical curve. Every cryptocurrency transaction that occurs is logged in a web-based ledger with blockchain technology.These then must be approved by a disparate network of individual nodes (computers that maintain a copy of the ledger). For every new block generated, the block must first be authenticated and confirmed ‘approved’ by each node, which makes forging the transactional history of cryptocurrencies nearly impossible. The World’s First CryptoBitcoin became the first blockchain-based cryptocurrency and to this day is still the most demanded cryptocurrency and the most valued. Bitcoin still contributes the majority of the overall cryptocurrency market volume, though several other cryptos have grown in popularity in recent years.Indeed, out of the wake of Bitcoin, iterations of Bitcoin became prevalent which resulted in a multitude of newly created or cloned cryptocurrencies. Contending cryptocurrencies that emerged after Bitcoin’s success is referred to as ‘altcoins’ and they refer to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Peercoin, Namecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Stellar, and Dash. Cryptocurrencies promise a wide range of technological innovations that have yet to be structured into being. Simplified payments between two parties without the need for a middle man is one aspect while leveraging blockchain technology to minimize transaction and processing fees for banks is another. Of course, cryptocurrencies have their disadvantages too. This includes issues of tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit online activities where anonymity is a dire ingredient in solicitous and fraudulent activities. By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the networks which are used to authenticate blockchain technology. Cryptocurrencies can be thought of as systems that accept online payments which are denoted as “tokens.” Tokens are represented as internal ledger entries in blockchain technology while the term crypto is used to depict cryptographic methods and encryption algorithms such as public-private key pairs, various hashing functions, and an elliptical curve. Every cryptocurrency transaction that occurs is logged in a web-based ledger with blockchain technology.These then must be approved by a disparate network of individual nodes (computers that maintain a copy of the ledger). For every new block generated, the block must first be authenticated and confirmed ‘approved’ by each node, which makes forging the transactional history of cryptocurrencies nearly impossible. The World’s First CryptoBitcoin became the first blockchain-based cryptocurrency and to this day is still the most demanded cryptocurrency and the most valued. Bitcoin still contributes the majority of the overall cryptocurrency market volume, though several other cryptos have grown in popularity in recent years.Indeed, out of the wake of Bitcoin, iterations of Bitcoin became prevalent which resulted in a multitude of newly created or cloned cryptocurrencies. Contending cryptocurrencies that emerged after Bitcoin’s success is referred to as ‘altcoins’ and they refer to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Peercoin, Namecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Stellar, and Dash. Cryptocurrencies promise a wide range of technological innovations that have yet to be structured into being. Simplified payments between two parties without the need for a middle man is one aspect while leveraging blockchain technology to minimize transaction and processing fees for banks is another. Of course, cryptocurrencies have their disadvantages too. This includes issues of tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit online activities where anonymity is a dire ingredient in solicitous and fraudulent activities. Read this Term fueled the increase of investment scams in the country.

Complaints about phishing Phishing Phishing is a form of cyber-attack in which fake websites, emails, and text messages are used to elicit personal data. The most common targets in this assault are passwords, private cryptocurrency keys, and credit card details.Phishers disguise themselves as reputable businesses and other types of entities. In certain instances, reputable government organizations or authorities are impersonated in order to collect this data.Because phishing relies on psychological manipulation rather than technological skill, it is considered to be a social engineering attack. The most common methods for phishing are email, telephone, or text message.How to Defend Against Phishing Attacks?Every phishing attempt has a few basic things in common, which individuals need to be aware of.You should always be on the lookout for offers that are overly lucrative or too good to be true. Click-bait titles or rewards and prizes without any context are red flags.Additionally, a sense of urgency should always be approached with caution. A favorite tactic amongst cybercriminals is to ask you to act fast because the super deals are only for a limited time.Finally, individuals should always be mindful of unusual senders and questionable attachments or hyperlinks. Simply hovering over a link shows you the actual URL where you will be directed upon clicking on it. If anything seems out of the ordinary, unexpected, or simply suspicious it is best to avoid clicking on any links. In the cryptocurrency world, phishing attacks come in forms such as fake wallets that unsuspectingly collect users’ private keys.Fake exchange login pages that collect users’ login data, and fake wallet seed generators that create and then collect the regenerative phrases used to make cryptocurrency wallets. Phishing is a form of cyber-attack in which fake websites, emails, and text messages are used to elicit personal data. The most common targets in this assault are passwords, private cryptocurrency keys, and credit card details.Phishers disguise themselves as reputable businesses and other types of entities. In certain instances, reputable government organizations or authorities are impersonated in order to collect this data.Because phishing relies on psychological manipulation rather than technological skill, it is considered to be a social engineering attack. The most common methods for phishing are email, telephone, or text message.How to Defend Against Phishing Attacks?Every phishing attempt has a few basic things in common, which individuals need to be aware of.You should always be on the lookout for offers that are overly lucrative or too good to be true. Click-bait titles or rewards and prizes without any context are red flags.Additionally, a sense of urgency should always be approached with caution. A favorite tactic amongst cybercriminals is to ask you to act fast because the super deals are only for a limited time.Finally, individuals should always be mindful of unusual senders and questionable attachments or hyperlinks. Simply hovering over a link shows you the actual URL where you will be directed upon clicking on it. If anything seems out of the ordinary, unexpected, or simply suspicious it is best to avoid clicking on any links. In the cryptocurrency world, phishing attacks come in forms such as fake wallets that unsuspectingly collect users’ private keys.Fake exchange login pages that collect users’ login data, and fake wallet seed generators that create and then collect the regenerative phrases used to make cryptocurrency wallets. Read this Term and identity theft scams dominated by over 93,000 incidents reported to Scamwatch. Further, there were more than 32,000 complaints about scammers making threats to life and arrests, over 21,000 incidents of false billings, and more than 20,000 incidents of online shopping scams.

Moreover, the statistics show that elderly individuals beyond 65 years of age were the most targeted victims, with 46,286 complaints and AU$82 million in losses. Scammers even targeted minors below 18 years of age, but the reports and losses have remained significantly low compared to other age groups.

“Worryingly, some of the more vulnerable members of the community are reporting increasingly high losses. Indigenous Australians, older Australians, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people with disability are losing far more than ever before,” the report stated.

However, Australians are not the only ones to fall for scams. A UK trade body last week revealed that Britons lost more than £1.3 billion to fraud and scams in 2021.