Online fraud victims too embarassed to report being scammed

Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) has received nearly 300 enquiries and around 20 complaints about online fraud scams this financial year.

According to the Victorian Consumer Affairs Minister Tony Robinson, the figure could be understating the impact of online fraud due to victims being to embarrassed to report being scammed.

Issuing a statement on online fraud to mark this year’s National Consumer Fraud Week, Robinson said scammers were getting more sophisticated in their approach to conning people out of their money.

Recent examples of sophisticated scams included fake advertisements for cars or rental properties posted on genuine websites, phishing emails purporting tob efrom legitimate financial institutions, and emails claiming the recipient has won a lottery or prize draw they never entered and requesting payment of an ‘administration fee’ to release the winnings.

Other scams include identity theft via details posted on social networking sites, and dating scams, where fraudsters posing as genuinely looking for love seek to defraud people with their hard-luck stories, Robinson said.

More information on the The Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce and National Consumer Fraud Week is available online.

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