Scamwatch is urging older Australians to 'Wise up to Scams' during this year's National Consumer Fraud Week, which runs from 16-22 May 2016.

We're encouraging older Australians to take the time to understand how they can identify—and avoid—the increasingly sophisticated methods scammers use to part them from their hard-earned money.

Objectives

The objectives of the 2016 National Consumer Fraud Week campaign are to:

  • raise awareness of the types of scams that target older Australians
  • educate older Australians on how to identify and avoid scams
  • provide older Australians with information on what to do if they've been scammed.

Resources

  • Wise up to scams magnetic card ( PDF 174.06 KB ) . As part of the 2016 Fraud Week campaign, the ACCC has produced a magnetic card to help consumers avoid scams. The card is sized A5 with large print and is available to order for free for a limited time.
  • Targeting scams: report of the ACCC on scams activity 2015. This report explains key trends in scam activity and highlights the impact of scams on the community. It highlights the cooperative work of the ACCC, other regulators and law enforcement agencies to disrupt scams and educate consumers.
  • Scam statistics. Get the latest scams data from this new resource that illustrates the prevalence and impact of scams. The statistics can be filtered by scam type, month and year, allowing you to track trends in scam activity.

Media releases

Australians lose over $229 million to scams in 2015

Partners

Scamwatch would like to acknowledge the assistance of its government, business and community group partners.

  • AIA Australia
  • Australia Post
  • Australian Bankers Association
  • Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association
  • Australian Super
  • Commonwealth Bank
  • Consumer Action Law Centre
  • COTA
  • eHarmony
  • Financial Counselling Australia
  • Google
  • iDCare
  • Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network Ltd
  • Institute of Public Accountants
  • MasterCard
  • National Australia Bank
  • Oasis
  • Optus
  • Reca Consulting
  • RSL NSW
  • RSL SA
  • RSL Victoria
  • RSVP
  • SA Small Business Commission
  • The Senior magazine
  • Twitter
  • Western Union
  • Westpac

National Consumer Fraud Week is an initiative of the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce.

More information

Advice for seniors
Protect yourself from scams
Where to get help