After years of a steep upward trend in the number of scams affecting Australians, reports to the authorities have begun to level off.
But we still lost more money in 2025 than in 2024, overwhelmingly due to investment scams.
The latest report from the National Anti-Scam Centre 鈥� which combines data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange, IDCARE and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission 鈥� shows that slowing down the global scams juggernaut is as challenging as ever.
Reported scam losses peaked at $3.1 billion in 2022 and have fallen about 30% since then. But last year scammers still managed to steal a collective $2.18 billion from Australians.
Scammers focus on websites and social media platforms
There were 77,365 text scams reported in 2024, when scammers barraged Australians with fake notifications about package deliveries, government notifications, bank communications and more.
This tapered off in 2025, when significantly fewer text scams were reported (29,058). The world鈥檚 criminal scam organisations now appear to be focused on websites and social media platforms, and losses increased by 21% in these areas compared to 2024.
糖心Vlog director of campaigns and communications Andy Kelly says the changing trends puts consumers at greater risk.
The latest data shows that scammers are increasingly shifting from phone calls and text messages to online contact methods to target victims
糖心Vlog director of campaigns and communications Andy Kelly
鈥淭he latest data shows that scammers are increasingly shifting from phone calls and text messages to online contact methods to target victims,鈥� Kelly says. 鈥淭he government cannot justify glaring holes in its proposed digital platform designation, which won鈥檛 capture email service providers, dating apps and online marketplaces.鈥�
The federal government鈥檚 Scams Prevention Framework 鈥� which covers banking, telcos and digital platforms 鈥� also leaves out app stores and gaming platforms, both of which have increasingly been exploited by scammers. Australians lost $139 million to romance scams in 2025, many of which would have been perpetrated by online contacts not covered by the framework.
Catriona Lowe, deputy chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), says 鈥渃ollaboration and shared accountability鈥� are needed both domestically and globally to gain the upper hand over the ever-evolving scams industry, adding that 鈥渟cams are often described as a 鈥榳icked problem鈥� because they are complex, fast-evolving, and resistant to simple solutions鈥�.
鈥淎s Australia and indeed the world faces increasing sophistication in scam activity through artificial intelligence and the industrialisation of criminal syndicates through scam compounds, it is clear more needs to be done, quickly and at scale,鈥� Lowe says.
To this end, Australia joined other G7 countries in early March to endorse a Call to Action to Combat Fraud at the United Nations and Interpol Global Fraud Summit.
In addition, more than 100 organisations from around the world endorsed a Public Private Partnership Framework to encourage and improve global cooperation in the fight against scams.
Fake gambling sites target vulnerable consumers
Betting and sports investment scams also saw an increase in both number of reports and total losses in 2025, with almost triple the losses ($2.4 million) of 2024.
Most of this was attributable to a phenomenon known as 鈥渟cambling鈥�, where online gambling platforms are promoted that lead to scam websites where all bogus bets are lost to criminals.
Sports investment scams, which made up a smaller percentage of losses, involve convincing victims to invest money in fraudulent online betting systems that promise high returns.
Strikingly, there was a 91.5% increase in reports from First Nations people about betting scams and a 93.5% increase in reports from people with a disability.
Without people speaking up, we simply wouldn鈥檛 have the insights needed to track and disrupt scam activity
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe
鈥淲e 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,鈥� Lowe says.
Another critical factor is that Australians continue to report scams.
鈥淲ithout people speaking up, we simply wouldn鈥檛 have the insights needed to track and disrupt scam activity,鈥� Lowe says. 鈥淲e encourage people to report suspicious activity so we can continue improving our understanding and response to scams.鈥�
Andy Kollmorgen is the Investigations Editor at 糖心Vlog. He reports on a wide range of issues in the consumer marketplace, with a focus on financial harm to vulnerable people at the hands of corporations and businesses. Prior to 糖心Vlog, Andy worked at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and at the Australian Financial Review along with a number of other news organisations. Andy is a former member of the NSW Fair Trading Advisory Council. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from New York University.
Andy Kollmorgen is the Investigations Editor at 糖心Vlog. He reports on a wide range of issues in the consumer marketplace, with a focus on financial harm to vulnerable people at the hands of corporations and businesses. Prior to 糖心Vlog, Andy worked at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and at the Australian Financial Review along with a number of other news organisations. Andy is a former member of the NSW Fair Trading Advisory Council. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from New York University.
For more than 60 years, we've been making a difference for Australian consumers. In that time, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value聽expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family. And our recent sunscreens test showed just how important it is to keep business claims in check.
So you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
