The Government is warning Gympie seniors to be aware of scams with more scam reports occurring each each year, with a grand total of $93,331,359 already lost in 2023 according to Scamwatch statistics.
Worryingly, Queenslanders over the age of 65 are experiencing bigger losses to scammers than any other age group, reporting $34,891,745 million in losses last year.
To put that into perspective, that is more than the entire Queensland population reported losing to scams just three years earlier (2020 – $32,184,253).
One Queensland woman reported losing $110,000 to a cryptocurrency scam, after seeing an ad pop up on social media about gold mining shares for $250.
Among the top scams Australians of all ages have reported to Scamwatch in 2023 were investment scams totaling $292,623,743, sating and romance scams totaling $34,344,656 and false billing scams totaling $27,991,378.
The top three scams most reported by Australians to Scamwatch in 2023 were phishing scams with 108,636 reports, false billing scams with 39,588 reports and online shopping scams with a total of 21,346 reports.
With the rising cost of living adding pressure to household budgets, it’s never been more important to be scam aware.
That’s why the Government is reminding older Queenslanders in particular, to stay vigilant and learn how to spot a scam.
Queenslanders are encouraged to check the Scamwatch website regularly to stay updated on the latest scams and how to avoid them.
If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.
