Australians continue to fall prey to the criminal activities of fraudsters and scammers as unprecedented numbers of sophisticated swindlers bombard us with electronic, phone and postal scams. On identity theft alone, losses to the Australian community are estimated to be in excess of $1 billion annually. The top three scams and fraud complaints received by ASIC are: cold calling schemes; horse racing - includes schemes, software, program, betting and selection; and email scams - includes phishing, employment scams, investment scams and bank scams. Consumers should be aware that all sorts of people fall for these kinds of slick swindles and that they need to be alert in order to protect themselves.
