MEDIA RELEASE August 11th, 2023
Seniors in Dubbo targeted by scammers
Seniors living in Dubbo are amongst those who lost $3.1 billion to scammers in 2022, an 80 per cent increase from 2021 — according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), report Targeting Scams1.
CyberSaferSeniors, a NSW Government sponsored project, is providing free face to face and easy-to-understand training and resources on how to identify and avoid cyber scams. The project offers workshops and training sessions to educate seniors on how to protect their online privacy and security. Additionally, CyberSaferSeniors provides Seniors with links to government agencies where they can seek guidance and support when dealing with cyber scams.
The report compiled data from more than 500,000 scam reports received across different agencies, including Scamwatch and the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange.
Most of the money was lost to fake investment scams, which accounted for at least $1.5 billion in losses.
Growth in a single year of some NSW scams is staggering:
- Phishing up 540%
- Pyramid schemes 785%
- Inheritance and unexpected money 698%
- Overpayment scams 368%
Hundreds of millions were also lost to remote-access scams, where a scammer gains control of a person’s computer or phone, and to payment redirection scams, where a scammer poses as a real business and sends invoices with fake bank details to victims.
Seniors lost more to scams than any other group, with people aged 65 and over falling victim more frequently and losing more money.
One scam, dubbed the “hi mum” scam, has caught 11,000 consumers and cost $7.2 million. The scam starts with a bogus text message to a parent or grandparent claiming to be from a relative with a broken phone and in need of help.
“Falling victim to cyber scams can have devastating effects on seniors’ financial and emotional well-being,” says CyberSaferSeniors Chair, Allan Asher2. “
By empowering Seniors in Wagga Wagga with the knowledge and tools to identify and avoid scams, we can help protect them and create a safer online environment for everyone, he said.
CyberSaferSeniors, a project sponsored by the NSW Department of Customer Service, is empowering seniors to recognize and avoid cyber scams. The project aims to equip Seniors with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves from the rising number of cyber scams and to help other Seniors do the same.
The For information about free workshops and training sessions, to be held in, Wagga Wagga, Seniors can register on the CyberSaferSeniors web page at bit.ly/CSSeniors or scan the QR code reproduced at the bottom of this press release.
References / Footnotes
2. Allan Asher has been a consumer protection advocate for 50 years. He was a senior executive at Choice, Deputy Chair of ACCC, Commonwealth Ombudsman, and a senior adviser to the UN on consumer protection.
For information or comment:
Allan Asher
Chair,
CyberSaferSeniors
FairerFuture.au/CyberSaferSeniors
M:0408375642