There are different types of scams that are rampant over the internet nowadays, so Australians need to be more vigilant in terms of the activities they perform online. This is the primary way for online users to increase their safety and security while navigating the digital world.

According to the data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch, Australians have already lost a record $211M to scams this year. The Scamwatch data also revealed that this is more than the $175.6M losses incurred for the whole of 2020.

Statistics show an 89% increase in losses between 1 January to 19 September incurred compared to the same period last year.

Accounting for 113,000 of the 213,000 reports filed to Scamwatch this year were phone-based scams. This type of scam also accounted for over 31% of the total losses.

Alongside this, there have been around 13,000 reports filed to Scamwatch about Flubot malware scams. These reports were collated within just eight weeks since August. Under this cozenage, the malware scam masqueraded as fake voicemail and parcel delivery.

According to ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard, the ACCC has shared alleged scammer phone numbers reported to Scamwatch to telcos for investigation. Their goal is for these numbers to be blocked immediately. The ACCC has also been working with the banks to raise awareness with their customers, particularly those who may have been compromised by Flubot.

In terms of phishing scams, a significant increase in losses was also noted, reaching 261%. The breakdown of the percentage of losses for the other scams is as follows: remote access scams – 144%, identity theft – 234%, and investment scams – 172%. All these data are reflected in the report by Scamwatch.

Rickard said that “The rise in identity theft-related scams is particularly concerning as scammers can use the personal information they obtain for use in other crimes.”

Meanwhile, according to Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton, the industry already blocked more than 159M scam calls between March and June alone. “More than 75M of these were ‘spoofing’ scam calls, and 23M were Wangiri scam calls. New figures from the communications regulator show 214M scam calls have been blocked since rules were introduced by the Morrison Government in December 2020, requiring telcos to detect, trace and block scam calls.”

“Comms Alliance members are now finalising a new industry code to further toughen customer authentication procedures. This has been value-added through public comments and will be submitted shortly to the ACMA for registration. This comes on top of the Reducing Scam Call Code introduced early this year and stronger pre-port verification measures developed by industry to combat identity theft being used to illegally port mobile phone services.”