Double-Scam Alert: How Fraudsters Exploit Scam Victims Twice

Scammers and Fake Recovery Offers

The National Anti-Scam Centre warns Australians who have had their money stolen by scammers to be wary of offers to recover it for an upfront charge.

The ACCC cautioned that scammers are targeting victims of scams with schemes that demand an upfront charge to recover funds lost in previous scams.

The ACCC advisory said “Reports that involve a money recovery element are on the rise. Between December 2023 and May 2024, Scamwatch received 158 reports with total losses of over $2.9 million, including losses from the original scam. The number of reports increased by 129 percent compared to the six months prior, however, financial losses decreased by 29 percent from $4.1 million.”

Victims of prior frauds are easily identifiable by thieves, who frequently retain and sell information about those they have abused. Australians 65 and over were the largest reporting ca

[…]
Content was cut in order to protect the source.Please visit the source for the rest of the article.