ALMOST $37 million has already been lost to online scams this year.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is warning people to be wary of these scams as part of Stay Smart Online week.
"It's difficult to spot a scammer online these days as they go to great lengths to trick the public and steal personal information and money," said the commission's deputy chair Delia Rickard.
ACCC's Scamwatch has already received more than 51,000 reports of would-be online cons in the last 10 months.
The top three online scams include:
- Phishing - often delivered via email, scammers will pretend to be from well-known businesses and government departments to con unsuspecting victims out of their personal information and money. For example they might say they're from Apple and you need to reset your password for security reasons, or they may offer you a gift voucher to a major supermarket for completing a 'survey'.
- False billing - scammers will pretend to be from a utility provider such as your phone or energy company and send you a fake bill. These scams can be very hard to pick as the fake bills scammers send look authentic.
- Buying and selling - scammers will trick people who are looking to buy or sell goods online. For example, they may set up a fake online store that sells well-known brands at seemingly too-good-to-be-true prices; or they may set up a fake listing on a classifieds website.
Safeguard yourself
Ms Rickard said there are some simple techniques members of the public can employ to avoid being stung by a scammer online.
"While scammers are often after your money, they're also trying to steal your personal information, which is just as valuable. It's important to safeguard your personal details online the same way you would your wallet," she said.
"If you're ever contacted out of the blue, particularly via email, by someone asking you to pay a bill, complete a survey or update your passwords, it pays to be sceptical.
"If something seems too good to be true, it probably is," Ms Rickard said.
"If you're unsure about the legitimacy of something online like a store, classified listing or email you receive, do you own research as others who have been stung by scammers will often post warnings for others."
Report scams at www.scamwatch.gov.au