All Australians urged to ‘Stop. Check. Protect.’ to stay safe from scams
The National Anti-Scam Centre says a new awareness campaign will make Australia a tougher target for scammers by arming Australians with the tools they need to stop scammers.
The Australian Government has launched the ‘Stop. Check. Protect.’ campaign, to tackle the threat of scams by educating the community about sophisticated scam tactics, reminding people that anyone can be vulnerable to scams, and empowering victims to report scams to Scamwatch.
Australians have been losing billions of dollars to scams every year in recent times, with criminals routinely targeting businesses and consumers through fake emails, phone calls, or text messages and social media.
“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 immediately.”
ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said building community resilience to scams is particularly important in an environment where criminals are increasingly turning to new technologies, such as artificial intelligence – and impersonating trusted organisations to trick Australians and steal their money.
“Australian consumers have told us that it sometimes feels like scams are everywhere and inevitable,” Ms 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.”
Ms Lowe said there are three steps to staying safe from scams:
- 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. Your report will help us protect others.
The ‘Stop. Check. Protect.’ campaign will be shown across television, online video, and social media. It will be supported by a range of other initiatives to promote scam awareness amongst vulnerable groups, including older Australians, First Nations peoples, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Campaign information and resources have been developed in 22 languages, which are available to view or download at: www.scamwatch.gov.au/translated .
“Anyone can be the target of a scam at any time. Scams are crimes – and if you’ve been scammed, you’re a victim of crime. There’s absolutely nothing to feel ashamed of or embarrassed about – it could happen to any of us,” Ms Lowe said.
“If you are scammed, or you encounter a scam, please report it to Scamwatch so we can take steps to protect others against financial harm. The information you report can provide vital intelligence to help disrupt scams.”
The public information and awareness campaign will complement work being led by the National Anti-Scam Centre to unite Government, law enforcement and industry to disrupt scams, and the criminal groups behind them.
