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6 million Australians exposed to scams: survey

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-12 15:05

CANBERRA: About six million Australians have been exposed to some types of scam or fraud in the past 12 months, fleecing them of almost 1 billion Australian dollars (US$0.9 billion), a survey revealed on Monday.

The largest survey of personal fraud ever undertaken in Australia found lottery and prize scams were the most prevalent. However, money laundering requests and phishing - fraudulent requests for personal details - were also common.

More than 14,000 people from across the country participated in the survey, which Australian Home Affairs Minister Brendan O' Connor said highlighted the need for greater consumer awareness.

"The more they know, the less likely they are to fall victim," he said.

There were generally four types of scams -- bogus lottery wins, money transfer scams, phishing and fake "get rich quick" schemes.

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Scams also took other forms, including fake job offers and inheritance scams, as well as romance scams, involving fake profiles on matchmaking sites. Most were received via email or the post.

Lotteries were the most successful rorts, with about 0.5 percent of respondents becoming a victim.

O'Connor urged Australians to be more open about scams and report them freely.

"It is important to encourage greater reporting of consumer fraud, to raise community awareness of emerging and widespread threats," he said.