Westpac is encouraging Australians to be wary of potential scams

New research reveals that more than 1.2M Australians have been scammed in the past 12 months.

According to a new study, more than 1.2 million Australians have been scammed in the last 12 months, with people under 30 being twice more likely to have been targeted during Covid-19.

One in every ten people under the age of 30 has been a victim of a scam in the last year, compared to only 6% of their older counterparts.

The analysis also indicated that scammers are increasingly targeting Australians, with investment scams increasing by 180% and remote access scams increasing by 370% since 2020.

• Read the full announcement here »

How to stay protected from scammers

• Turn on mobile push notifications so you can track your bank transactions in real-time. If something looks suspicious, you can report it straight away.
• If available from your bank, access a Digital Card through your mobile banking app to provide extra security when shopping online through a dynamic 3-digit CVC code that changes every 24 hours.
• If a card is lost or stolen, apply for an instant block through your bank’s online and mobile banking to prevent any unauthorised purchases and have a new card issued.
• Some smartphones offer a feature that will warn you if an unknown caller is a potential scammer.

Source: Westpac