Older Australians are still letting scammers access their computers with AU$7 million lost already this year, mostly to those over the age of 55.
In the first six months of 2021, Australians lost over AU$7 million by letting scammers access their home computers — up 184% when compared to last year. The latest data from the ACCC’s Scamwatch reveals so far this year almost 6,500 Australians have reported phone calls from scammers trying to convince them to download software that gives access to home computers and their bank accounts. “Remote access scams are one of the largest growing scam types in Australia. Scammers take advantage of the digital world and the fear of fraud and cybercrime to access people’s devices and steal their money,” ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said. “These types of scams target and impact all people and can be convincing.” People aged 55 and over lost over AU$4.4 million, accounting for almost half of total losses. Young people reported losing on average AU$20,000 and eight Indigenous Australians, some in remote communities, lost a total of AU$38,000, across 84 reports. The ACCC said the scammers pretend to be from organisations such as Telstra, eBay, NBN Co, Amazon, banks, government organisations, police, and computer and IT support organisations.
