Online Scams

Once upon a time, scam emails were easy to spot — clumsy spelling, strange stories about a foreign prince, and promises of easy money. Those days are gone. Today’s smart scam emails look sharper, sound more believable, and use new tricks (including artificial intelligence) to fool even the savviest of us. Here’s how some of the latest email scams work — and what you can do to protect yourself.

You’ve probably heard the term “money mule” on the news, but what does it actually mean?

Online scams come dressed in all shapes and sizes, like the promise of a dream investment, a surprise prize, or even a message from someone “in love.” The people behind them know how to push your buttons, and they're very good at engaging you on an emotional level. They use flattery, fear, or excitement to get what they want: first, your trust, and then, your money.

Online dating can be a wonderful way to meet new people, but it’s also become one of the most common hunting grounds for scammers. Every week, Australians lose millions to “romance scams”, and the numbers are rising fast. In fact, they’re the second fastest growing scam, outpaced only by cryptocurrency investment scams. Here's how you can date online and stay safe.

Many of you may have seen reports that Qantas recently had a data breach, confirmed by the airline itself, in which personal data for around six million customers was exposed when a third-party contact-centre system was accessed by cyber criminals. That kind of incident may sound like something for the big boys, but it has real-life consequences for all of us — particularly when it comes to scams via text messages (SMS) and email. Here’s what it means and what you can do