Almost everyone will be the target of a scam at some point in time - you may have been already. Every year, Australians lose large amounts of money by believing and investing in scams or falling prey to identity theft.

How do scams work?

Scams target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels across Australia. If you think you are 'too clever' to fall for a scam, you may take risks that scammers can take advantage of.

Scams succeed because of two things.

• Firstly, a scam looks like the real thing. It appears to meet your need or desire. To find out that it is in fact a scam, you must first make the effort to check it properly. You need to ask questions and think carefully before you decide what to do.
• Secondly, scammers manipulate you by 'pushing your buttons' to produce the automatic response they want. It's nothing to do with you personally, it's to do with the way individuals in society are wired emotionally and socially. It's because the response is automatic that people fall for the scam.

Tips for protecting yourself

Money

• Never respond to an email asking you for your PINs or passwords
• Never send money to someone you don't know or trust
• Only invest with licensed financial services providers.

Phone

• Be suspicious of unexpected calls and text messages
• Hang up. Or text 'STOP' to unwanted messages
• Don't give out your number to just anyone.

Computer

• Keep your protection software up to date
• Don't respond in any way to unsolicited emails
• If in doubt, delete.

Identity

• Never give out your personal information to someone you don't know or trust
• Don't just bin it-destroy it (old bills, records or expired cards)
• Check your credit report regularly.

To learn more

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is running a national campaign called SCAMwatch from 5 March - 30 March 2007. The ACCC is a member of the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce (ACFT).

The ACFT was formed in March 2005 and is a group of 18 government regulatory agencies and departments who have a responsibility for consumer protection regarding frauds and scams.

For detailed information on existing scams, and how to recognise them, as well as victims' stories and more tips on how to protect yourself, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au.