More than 200 people have attended a scams awareness forum in Bowral hosted today by Whitlam MP Stephen Jones.
Australians lost a record $3.1 billion to scams in 2022, which is an 80 per cent increase on the previous year.
Mr. Jones has the following advice for local residents:
“Everyday, scammers are ripping money out the pockets of hard-working Australians.
The Government is fighting back.
With the establishment National Anti-Scams Centre and initiatives other like SMS sender ID Registry, we are driving home a clear message; the Government is putting scammers on notice.”
“The top piece of advice I would give to the community in protecting yourself against scams is to:
Stop – take your time before giving money or personal information.
Think – ask yourself if the message or call could be fake?
Protect – act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank and report scams to Scamwatch.”
