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 – which combines data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange, IDCARE and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission – 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’s 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.
CHOICE 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
CHOICE director of campaigns and communications Andy Kelly
“The latest data shows that scammers are increasingly shifting from phone calls and text messages to online contact methods to target victims,” Kelly says. “The government cannot justify glaring holes in its proposed digital platform designation, which won’t capture email service providers, dating apps and online marketplaces.”
The federal government’s Scams Prevention Framework – which covers banking, telcos and digital platforms – 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 “collaboration and shared accountability” are needed both domestically and globally to gain the upper hand over the ever-evolving scams industry, adding that “scams are often described as a ‘wicked problem’ because they are complex, fast-evolving, and resistant to simple solutions”.
“As 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,” 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 “scambling”, 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’t have the insights needed to track and disrupt scam activity
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe
“We 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,” Lowe says.
Another critical factor is that Australians continue to report scams.
“Without people speaking up, we simply wouldn’t have the insights needed to track and disrupt scam activity,” Lowe says. “We encourage people to report suspicious activity so we can continue improving our understanding and response to scams.”
Andy Kollmorgen is the Investigations Editor at CHOICE. 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 CHOICE, 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. LinkedIn
Andy Kollmorgen is the Investigations Editor at CHOICE. 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 CHOICE, 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. LinkedIn
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