THE increasing threat of online scams has prompted calls for caution.
The federal government estimates that each year, Australians lose $4 billion to scammers. Dunkley MP Peta Murphy hosted a scam protection forum at Village Baxter last month. She has urged residents to be careful about online safety to avoid scams.
“Anyone can be victim of a scam. As a community it’s so important that we increase our confidence, skills, and online safety. That’s what this forum was all about.” Murphy said. “Protecting consumers is a top priority for the federal government, with a new National Anti-Scams Centre, tougher codes, and a dedicated minister to deal with these issues, announced through the fighting online scams measure in the October 2022–23 budget.
“If you have been scammed, there are steps you should take including immediately contacting your financial institution, reporting the scam to Scamwatch, notifying police, and calling IDCARE on 1800 595 160 if you have released personal identifying information to a scammer. We know scams exist so it’s important we are on the lookout for them.”