It’s the fourth month of the year, and we’re now just doing the numbers on how much Australians have lost to criminals attempting to rip them off. Unsurprisingly the number is big, but it also paints a picture on the type of scams that are the most lucrative.
In a report released by the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) combined with data from the ACCC, Australians made nearly half a million scam reports in the past year, with the result being an increase in losses.
The amount isn’t as high as 2022’s report of $3.1 billion or even 2023’s of $2.7 billion, but with over 274,000 reports seeing financial losses, 2025’s total losses of $2.18 billion isn’t small, either.
Most of those losses haven’t necessarily come from simple scams, with many designed to take money in complex ways, including $139.9 million from romance scams, $166.8 million from payment redirection scams, and a staggering $837.7 million from investment scams. Specifically, that last category sees scammers taking large amounts of money, often from superannuation with the scam being further investment that never actually happens.
With scams of this size, it’s important to note that these aren’t typically small operations. Many of them are large and complex, and designed to steal as much as possible, usually in the hope that the victim is caught unaware.
“As Australia and indeed the world faces increasing sophistication in scam activity through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the industrialisation of criminal syndicates through scam compounds, it is clear more needs to be done, quickly and at scale,” said Catriona Lowe, Deputy Chair of the ACCC, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the organisation that runs Scamwatch.
“It’s also important to note that the actions demonstrated in the report are made possible because Australians took the time to share their experiences,” she said.
“Without people speaking up, we simply wouldn’t have the insights needed to track and disrupt scam activity. We encourage people to report suspicious activity so we can continue improving our understanding and response to scams.”
Reporting scams is important not just because it provides the government with potential recourse and tracking, but also makes it possible for programs to block some of these scams before they ensnare another victim. Programs such as Telstra’s Cleaner Pipes are one part of that action, but aren’t the only approach.
Simply reporting makes it possible for NASC to investigate platforms, including channels on Telegram, fraudulent YouTube videos, scammy Gmail addresses, and problematic Facebook links that could be using fake friends and social engineering to manipulate you.
“We know losses remain high, but coordinated interventions are key to combating scams, and we will continue working together to strengthen efforts, including through the Scams Prevention Framework,” said Ms Lowe.
