Officials of the Australian Competition And Consumer Commission will spend much of coming weeks totting up how many Aussies yesterday lost money yesterday to Valentine’s Day Internet scams. Last year, some 2620 Australians reported losing almost $23 million to dating and romance scams, according to ACCC figures.
“Romance scams continue to cause significant emotional and financial harm to the community. We know these figures are only the tip of the iceberg, as many victims are reluctant to admit to friends, family or authorities that they fell for a scam,” ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said on Friday in a pre-Valentines Day warning.
“Scammers are experts at preying on people’s weaknesses and will spend months and even years grooming victims and lowering their defences.”
The ACCC’s Scam Disruption Project has sent more than 6000 letters asking individuals who sent money to high-risk jurisdictions to reconsider sending money offshore. Some 75 percent of those people who received these letters ceased sending money for at least six weeks.
Nearly one quarter of reported romance scams originate on social media, in particular Facebook. “The ACCC is looking to work with social media platforms to keep romance scammers off their sites and to help users recognise when they are being scammed,” Rickard said.
