Scam awareness campaign targets vulnerable retirees
Seniors are a primary target of the new Federal Government awareness campaign about scamming, titled Stop. Check. Protect, which aims to educate the community about sophisticated scams.
While older Australians are often signalled out for this pernicious activity, the campaign, headed by the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC), wants to make all Australians a tougher target for scammers by arming them with the necessary tools to detect and stop fraudulent behaviour.
Australians have been losing millions of dollars to scams every year, with criminals routinely targeting businesses and consumers through fake emails, phone calls, text messages and social media.
But NASC figures highlight the vulnerability of older Australians (65+) who accounted for nearly one-third of the $319 million lost to scammers in 2024, despite the fact they only represented 25 per cent of all reported scams.
There are three steps to staying safe from scams that are becoming more difficult to spot, according to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) deputy chair Catriona Lowe (pictured).
“Forty years on, we all still use the iconic Slip. Slop. Slap message of the 1980s as a handy reminder of how to be sun safe. Now we need all Australians to Stop. Check. Protect. to help keep themselves and others safe from scammers.
“This campaign is about inspiring the behavioural change in every Australian – ensuring we stop and check before acting on that suspicious email, phone call, text message or social media post – that will stop scammers in their tracks.”
Ms Lowe said building community resilience to scams was particularly important in an environment where criminals were increasingly turning to new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and impersonating trusted organisations to deceive Australians.
“Australian consumers have told us that it sometimes feels like scams are everywhere and inevitable,” Lowe said. “This campaign will emphasise that we’re not powerless to scammers. When we’re alert, we’re in control. And by stopping and checking when we’re unsure, then reporting scams we’ve seen, we can protect ourselves and others against financial harm.”
To avoid being scammed, the campaign urges all Australians to:
Stop: Don’t give money or personal information to anyone if unsure.
Check: Consider who you’re dealing with and ask yourself, could the message or call be fake?
Protect: Act quickly if something feels wrong. Report scams to Scamwatch. The report will help protect others.
Scams work because they look like the real thing and scammers create a sense of urgency, contact you when you’re not expecting it or you are busy. They also take advantage of new technology, new products or services and major events to create believable stories.
The Australian Banking Association (ABA) has put its weight behind the campaign, saying it was a timely reminder for Australians to be on the look-out for the tell-tale signs of being scammed.
“Scams are a blight on our society. Every dollar lost is a dollar too much,” ABA chief executive officer Anna Bligh said. “While Australia is one of the few countries in the world reporting declining losses, ongoing community education and awareness of the risks that scams pose is critical.
“Scammers will continue to evolve their tactics to trick Australians and that’s why we all need to be on high alert. This campaign is an important reminder to all of us, that as we go about our daily lives, it pays to remain vigilant to the risks of scams.”
She said the banking industry’s Scam-Safe Accord was putting in place new scam protections including confirmation of payee technology, more payment warnings and delays, identity checks and enhanced intelligence sharing. “Banks will continue to work with the Federal Government and other sectors to fight scammers and reduce losses even further.”