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Avast warns of surge in fake online shops in Australia
Phishing

Avast warns of surge in fake online shops in Australia

Avast flags 430,000 blocked visits to fake online shops in Australia, warning scam “ghost stores” will surge over summer sales and Christmas.

By Melania Watson • 4 min read • Mon, 8th Dec 2025
Australians warned of AI scams ahead of Black Friday sales rush
Multi-factor authentication

Australians warned of AI scams ahead of Black Friday sales rush

Australians are warned of AI-driven Black Friday scams, with fraudsters using advanced tactics to create realistic fake shopping sites and offers.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Mon, 24th Nov 2025
Australians still struggle to spot & respond to scams safely
Multi-factor authentication

Australians still struggle to spot & respond to scams safely

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

By Shannon Williams • 4 min read • Tue, 26th Aug 2025
Australian businesses lose AUD $2.03 billion as AI scams surge
Data Protection

Australian businesses lose AUD $2.03 billion as AI scams surge

Australian businesses have lost AUD $2.03 billion to increasingly sophisticated AI-driven scams in 2024, signalling a growing threat to the economy.

By Sean Mitchell • 5 min read • Thu, 21st Aug 2025
CI-ISAC partners with Google to bolster online scam defences
Unified Communications

CI-ISAC partners with Google to bolster online scam defences

CI-ISAC Australia has joined Google's Priority Flagger Program to speed up detection and removal of online scams threatening critical infrastructure sectors.

By Melania Watson • 3 min read • Thu, 14th Aug 2025
Social media becomes top platform for retail scams in Australia
Cybersecurity

Social media becomes top platform for retail scams in Australia

Social media and online forums have now surpassed email as the top platforms for retail scams in Australia, with losses exceeding AUD $2.5 million in 2024.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Tue, 20th May 2025
Scams cost Australian small businesses AUD $7.9 million
Phishing

Scams cost Australian small businesses AUD $7.9 million

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.

By Kaleah Salmon • 3 min read • Thu, 3rd Apr 2025
Australians warned of '12 scams of Christmas' fraud risk
Email Security

Australians warned of '12 scams of Christmas' fraud risk

As the festive season approaches, Australians are urged to defend against a rise in online scams that exploit holiday shopping trends, warns AUCyber.

By Shannon Williams • 3 min read • Thu, 12th Dec 2024
Australians warned of Black Friday online shopping scams
Malware

Australians warned of Black Friday online shopping scams

Australians are being warned to stay vigilant as online shopping scams surge during Black Friday, with losses exceeding AUD $14.9 million this year.

By Imee Dequito • 3 min read • Tue, 19th Nov 2024
Join the fight against cyber crime: Enrol in Cyber Wardens training for free
Phishing

Join the fight against cyber crime: Enrol in Cyber Wardens training for free

Small businesses facing increased cyber threats can now access free training through COSBOA's Cyber Wardens program to enhance their security skills.

By COSBOA • 2 min read • Tue, 5th Nov 2024
ScamBuster Thursday: Telstra launches new tactic to combat SMS scams
Unified Communications

ScamBuster Thursday: Telstra launches new tactic to combat SMS scams

Over 250,000 potential SMS and MMS scams have been reported in Australia, seeping through Telstra's hotline, with the highest number recorded on Thursdays.

By Catherine Knowles • 3 min read • Wed, 28th Feb 2024
Australians hit hard by online scams and fraud this year
Email Security

Australians hit hard by online scams and fraud this year

The Government has boosted its funding to combat online scams and fraud, as Australians have now lost almost AUD $200 million to scammers this year alone.

By Kaleah Salmon • 3 min read • Wed, 17th May 2023
Scams leave nasty bite & Australians $33m out of pocket in November
Email Security

Scams leave nasty bite & Australians $33m out of pocket in November

Investment scams accounted for 65% of the $33m stolen by scammers from Australians in November, according to Proofpoint and Scamwatch.

By Staff Writer • 3 min read • Thu, 16th Dec 2021

Global Stories

Scamwatch stories

Why 'strong passwords' can't save you from AI
Ransomware

Why 'strong passwords' can't save you from AI

AI has made stolen credentials and careless copy-paste habits a bigger risk than password strength, with scams and breaches accelerating.

By Raymond Schippers • 4 min read • Last month
Scam Awareness Week shines a light on the collective effort needed to fight scams
Unified Communications

Scam Awareness Week shines a light on the collective effort needed to fight scams

Australians lost over AUD $119 million to scams in early 2025, highlighting the urgent need for collective action from individuals, businesses and government.

By Sumir Bhatia • 4 min read • Fri, 29th Aug 2025
Australia among top 10 sources of phishing attacks in global report
EduTech

Australia among top 10 sources of phishing attacks in global report

Australia has entered the top ten origins for phishing attacks, with a 479.3% rise in hosted phishing content and losses amounting to AUD $26.1 million.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Tue, 28th May 2024
'Love cost dearly' warns CBA over Valentine's Day romance scams
Cybersecurity

'Love cost dearly' warns CBA over Valentine's Day romance scams

As Valentine's Day nears, Commonwealth Bank Australia warns against a spike in romance scams, with women shown to be most at risk, losing double the amount compared to men in 2022.

By Kaleah Salmon • 3 min read • Wed, 14th Feb 2024
Country-wide phishing reports up 75% in 2020
Phishing

Country-wide phishing reports up 75% in 2020

In total, Australians lost $176 million to scams in 2020, 23% higher than the previous year, with phishing the most reported type.

By Staff Writer • 3 min read • Tue, 19th Jan 2021