Approximately one third of Indigenous Australians that were targeted by scammers went on to lose money, a figure that more than doubles the amount of non-Indigenous consumers.
As part of Fraud Week, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is today launching a campaign to spread awareness to Indigenous consumers about what to look for in order to spot a scam and the ways in which they can protect themselves.
According to the ACCC’s 2014 Targeting Scams Report, Indigenous Australians lost over $740,000 to scammers last year alone.
“Internet scams caused the highest losses for Indigenous Australians, totalling $655,000, so we’re urging the community to be wary of all internet approaches asking for personal details or money,” ACCC NT Regional Director Derek Farrell said.
“Scammers today are not just after your money – your personal information is valuable too. In 2014, identity theft scams were the top reported scam for Indigenous consumers.”
As part of the campaign, the ACCC is spreading the message on their Your Rights Mob Facebook page and have created the following video:
