Australians lost more than AU$34 million to all types of scams in January 2022 according to the latest figures from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch.
This figure is up more than 50% compared to the start of 2021, but down from the AU$43 million in losses reported in December 2021, which was a record month for losses itself last year. There were 21,110 scams reported to the ACCC in January, an increase of 45% from the previous month.
Adrian Covich, Senior Director at Proofpoint, said: “While it is promising to see a decline in the amount lost to scams compared to the end of 2021, looking at the statistics from the same period last year highlights just how successful scammers have become at stealing from hard-working Australians.
“Last year was a record-breaking year for scams with more than AU$323 million in losses and 286,000 reports according to Scamwatch. With scammers and cybercriminals continuously reinventing their tactics and finding new ways to exploit Australians for financial gain, there is every chance we will see these statistics continue to rise this year.”
Investment scams were the most financially damaging type of scam in January costing Australians AU$21 million, more than double the amount lost in the same month last year.
