The financial vulnerability of older Australians continues to be a pressing concern, with individuals aged 65 and over suffering the most substantial losses due to scams.
Remote access scams were particularly problematic, with reported losses amounting to $229 million in 2022 - second only to investment scams.
Worringly, victims of remote access scams lost an average of $17,328, and the median loss was $5,000, with most losses occurring via bank transfer.
“Australians lost more money to scams than ever before in 2022, but the true cost of scams is much more than a dollar figure as they also cause emotional distress to victims, their families and businesses,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
Read more: https://t.co/3zTXG3bL27
— Scamwatch_gov_au (@Scamwatch_gov) April 17, 2023
How is it perpetrated?
Accoring to Scamwatch, the typical victim of a remote access scam is a woman aged 65 or over residing in New South Wales.
Scammers usually contact victims through a phone call while they are at home, tricking or frightening them into providing remote access to their device or computer.
The scammer may initiate contact following a legitimate inquiry with the victim's ISP about problems with their NBN connection.
Victims may not immediately realise that the scammer has accessed their bank accounts to perform a transfer.
In total, Scamwatch received 11,792 reports about remote access scams in 2022, indicating a 24.9% decrease, however, the reported losses increased by 32.6% to $21.7 million.
Protect yourself
Being proactive is key to being safe on the internet, here are some of the step you could adopt to protect yourself from remote access scammers:
- Be wary of unsolicited calls and emails: Scammers often use unsolicited calls or emails to trick people into giving them remote access to their computer. Don't trust any unsolicited communication, and never give remote access to anyone unless you are absolutely sure of their identity.
- Use strong passwords: Create strong passwords for your devices and accounts. Strong passwords should be at least 12 characters long, include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid using the same password across multiple accounts.
- Install anti-virus and anti-malware software: Make sure you have up-to-date anti-virus and anti-malware software installed on your computer. These programs can help detect and remove malicious software that may be used in remote access scams.
- Be cautious of pop-up ads: Pop-up ads may be used to trick you into downloading malicious software that can give scammers remote access to your computer. Be cautious of any pop-up ads that ask you to install software or give remote access to your computer.
- Don't give out personal information: Never give out personal information such as your bank account information, or credit card information over the phone or email.
- Verify the identity of the person requesting remote access: If someone calls or emails you asking for remote access to your computer, verify their identity first. Call the company they claim to be from and ask if the person is legitimate.
- Educate yourself: Stay informed about the latest remote access scams and how to protect yourself.
Remember that scammers are always looking for new ways to trick people, so it's important to be vigilant and protect yourself against scams.