016/07 5 March 2007
Scams target you—protect yourself
Australians continue to fall prey to the criminal activities of fraudsters and scammers as unprecedented numbers of sophisticated swindlers bombard us with electronic, phone and postal scams.
Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, today jointly launched the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce’s four-week campaign today, with the strong message ‘SCAMS TARGET YOU! Protect Yourself.’
"There seems to be a scam created to trap just about everyone—from hoax emails and text messages, to lottery scams, fake investment schemes, bogus medical cons, the Nigerian letters, fake employment and money laundering schemes, to identity theft,” Senator Coonan said.
“Consumers should be aware that all sorts of people fall for these kinds of slick swindles and that they need to be alert in order to protect themselves.
“The problem isn’t going away. The scammers are out there, and they’re active with new tricks.”
Because of the seriousness of these crimes, agencies across Australia and New Zealand joined forces in 2005 to heighten consumer awareness. The success of the campaign has led over 40 private sector partners from the finance, IT, telecommunications, and other industries to join the Taskforce this year—as well as a large number of community groups —all concerned to fight these insidious and growing crimes.
“Consumer protection regulators, businesses, and community groups all see the harmful effects which scams have on people,” Senator Coonan said.
“One of the best ways to combat this kind of fraud is to help people take the steps to prevent being caught out in the first place.
“Throughout the month, consumers will be given crucial and simple precautions, to help arm themselves and protect their hard-earned money.”
The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts launched the Stay Smart Online website (www.staysmartonline.gov.au) which provides simple advice on how to secure your computer, transact and interact safely online .
Background to the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce
Consumer scams are crimes of dishonesty such as forgery, counterfeiting, on-line deception, and theft that are targeted at people who seek to purchase goods and services. Potential victims can be those who use fixed line or mobile phones, computers and the internet, older people, and those who use professional advisers.
As part of a whole-of-Government approach to combat consumer fraud and scams targeted at consumers, the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce was established in March 2005 and comprises all of the governmental regulatory agencies and departments in Australia and New Zealand who have responsibilities for consumer protection.
The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts has joined forces with these agencies to raise awareness about scams and fraud prevention. The four-week campaign is being launched by the Taskforce to help people protect themselves from scams. The overall theme for the four weeks of the campaign is 'SCAMS TARGET YOU—Protect Yourself’’.
Agencies participating in the Taskforce are:
Australian Government: Attorney-General’s Department; Australian Bureau of Statistics; Australian Communications and Media Authority; Australian Competition and Consumer Commission; Australian Federal Police (represented by the Australian High Tech Crime Centre); Australian Institute of Criminology; Australian Securities and Investment Commission; and the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
New Zealand Government: NZ Commerce Commission; Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
State and territory governments: All State and Territory Police jurisdictions; Australian Capital Territory—Office of Fair Trading; Consumer Affairs Victoria; New South Wales— Office of Fair Trading; Consumer Affairs Northern Territory; Queensland—Department of Tourism, Fair Trading and Wine Industry Development; South Australia—Office of Consumer and Business Affairs; Tasmania—Office of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading; Western Australia—Department of Consumer and Employment Protection.
Taskforce partners
Taskforce members are joined in communicating with Australian consumers about scams by a range of community, non-government and private sector organisations. Visit www.scamwatch.gov.au for a list of Taskforce partners.
Consumers who think they’ve spotted a scam can check the SCAMwatch website at www.scamwatch.gov.au which has detailed information about scams, or report a scam on 1300 795 995.
Consumers can also fill out the scams survey on the Australian Institute of Criminology website at http://web.aic.gov.au/surveys/acft/
Media Contact: Katherine Meier - 0417 441 141