CONSUMER Affairs Victoria has urged people to know about common scams used to con the unwary.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission statistics show Victorians last year lost just under $20.5 million to scammers.
Fake bank notes, sham refunds and bogus lottery prizes are among the top scams used to tempt unwary targets to part with their cash for no return.
A trend in recent months involves the “refund” scam which often involves the con artist offering large sums of money in exchange for an upfront payment.
Scammers pretend to be from a bank, organisation or government department, such as the Australian Tax Office, to fool people into paying money or providing their bank details.
There have been more than 400 complaints about money transfer scams to Consumer Affairs Victoria in the past 12 months.
Consumer Affairs Victoria said people should always be wary of unsolicited emails, phone calls or letters saying they have unclaimed funds, won prizes or are owed money.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 24 June 2015
