Scams stories - Page 2

Australians lost AUD $175 million to over 108,000 scams in H1 2025, as cyber threats rise amid rapid growth in digital payments and eCommerce.

Nearly 80% of Australians have faced scam communications recently, yet 70% lack knowledge on how to respond safely, reveals new Optus research.

Cybercriminals exploit AI website builder Lovable to swiftly create phishing and scam sites, lowering barriers for digital crime, warns cybersecurity firm Proofpoint.

Task scams have cost jobseekers millions, with Trend Micro warning of a surge in frauds using fake jobs to trick victims into losing thousands of dollars.

Small business tax refunds surged by 75% in Q1 2024, with average returns reaching AUD $5,000, reveals CommBank data on Australian financial year start.

A major Australian financial institution lost A$23m from unauthorised transactions, prompting a nationwide push to prioritise trust and fraud prevention in 2024.

Visa launches a Security Roadmap in New Zealand to tackle rising AI-driven payment fraud, offering new tools and support for small businesses amid NZD $194m losses.

CommBank has launched AI bots developed with Apate.ai to engage scammers in real-time, disrupting fraud and protecting Australians from scams.

Cybersecurity firm Infoblox warns of Hazy Hawk, a threat actor hijacking DNS records from abandoned cloud resources to spread scams and malware worldwide.

Security firm Infoblox links the Hazy Hawk group to global subdomain hijacks via abandoned Amazon and Azure cloud services, spreading scams and malware.

UK mobile banking fraud surged 11% in 2024 as scammers shift from voice scams, with card fraud and remote iOS attacks also on the rise, reports BioCatch.

Cybercriminal groups Reckless Rabbit and Ruthless Rabbit use registered domain algorithms to carry out investment scams costing US consumers USD $5.7 billion in 2024.

Cyber experts warn Australian voters to beware election scams ahead of the federal poll, predicting tactics similar to those seen in the US as threats rise.

Google blocked over 5.1bn ads and suspended 39.2m accounts in 2024, using AI advancements to combat ad scams and protect consumers.

Bitdefender reports a dramatic rise in cybercrime targeting social media influencers, uncovering over 9,000 malicious livestreams on YouTube in 2024.

Revolut's latest report reveals Meta platforms are the primary source of scams affecting consumers, with reported cases rising significantly in Australia and globally.

Scams targeting Australia's micro and small businesses caused losses of AUD $7.9 million in 2024, despite recent efforts leading to a decrease from AUD $17.3 million.

Carol Chris, General Manager of GBG APAC, emphasises innovation in fraud prevention amid rising data breaches, as demand for compliance solutions grows.

Group-IB's new report reveals a 58% rise in Advanced Persistent Threats, with Europe facing the brunt amid escalating geopolitical tensions.

Bitdefender Labs warns the Counter-Strike 2 community of scammers exploiting major esports events like IEM Katowice 2025 to defraud gamers through hijacked YouTube accounts.