It’s been revealed Canberrans lost more than $7 million dollars to scams throughout 2021.
Nationally, that figures increases to more than $2 billion, according to the ‘Targeting Scams’ report released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Monday.
Investment scams were the highest loss category ($701 million) in 2021, followed by payment redirection scams ($227 million), and romance scams ($142 million).
ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said scam activity continues to increase, and last year a record number of Australians lost a record amount of money.
“Scammers are the most opportunistic of all criminals: they pose as charities after a natural disaster, health departments during a pandemic, and love interests every day.”
“The true cost of scams is more than a dollar figure as they also cause serious emotional harm to individuals, families, and businesses.”
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