Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones was in Ipswich today for a community Scams Forum hosted by Federal Member for Blair Shayne Neumann at Jets Leagues Club.

The forum was an opportunity for people to learn ways to protect themselves from scams, know what to do if they are targeted by a scam, and hear about the steps the Albanese Government is taking to crackdown on this crime. 

A number of government and community organisations attended the event, including Australia Post, Services Australia, Queensland Police and national identity and cyber support service IDCARE, and provided information and feedback on scams impacting the local community in Ipswich.

The Government is implementing an ambitious anti-scam agenda to combat scams and protect Australians. Early signs show the plan is working, with the latest annual Targeting Scams report showing that scam losses have decreased for the first time since 2016.

The first phase of the plan was setting up a National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) in July last year, which was part of an $86.5 million investment to fight scams and online fraud in the May Budget.

This announcement included:

• $58 million for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to establish the NASC
• $17.6 million for Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to bust fake investment websites that promote fake scams
• $10 million for the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to establish and enforce an SMS sender ID registry to stop scam texts.

The Government’s crackdown on scams has already shown signs of success. In the six months after the NASC was created, reported losses to scams reduced by 29 per cent compared with the same period in 2022, according to Scamwatch data.

Sergeant Nadine Webster from the Ipswich District Crime Prevention Unit spoke at the forum and reported that local police had succeeded in shutting down a scam operation recently after members of the public came forward with information.

Mr Neumann told attendees at the event that every day, scammers were ripping money out of the pockets of hard-working locals.

“People across the community have no doubt experienced the persistent calls, spam texts, and misleading advertisements on social media attempting to scam them out of their money.

“Scam activity is on the rise and costing individuals, businesses and the Australian economy billions each year. Several people at the forum reported being the victim of scams and IDCARE data show that around $1 million was lost to scams in Ipswich in the last six months.

“So, it’s more important than ever for people in our community to be alert and aware of how to protect themselves,” he said.

Minister Jones said that cracking down on criminals trying to rip off hardworking Australians was a high priority for the Albanese Government.

“The Albanese Government is fighting back, and the community and businesses are more protected from scammers than ever before with the launch of our cutting-edge Scamwatch initiative and establishment of the National Anti-Scams Centre.

“The NASC means that consumers can look to a trusted, centralised point within Government for information and education to protect themselves from scams.

“And remember, if an offer seems too good to be true or suspicious, it probably is.”

If you or anyone you know receive a suspicious call, text or email take these steps to protect yourself:

• Stop – take your time before giving money or personal information.
• Think – ask yourself if the message, link or call could be fake.
• Protect – act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank and IDCARE on 1800 595 160, and report scams to the police and Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/