Canberra: Valentine’s Day is full of roses, chocolates, declarations of love, and an increasing number of online scams, Australia’s consumer watchdog said on Monday.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch programme reported a 44 per cent increase of scam incidents in 2021, warning citizens to be wary of scams operated around the guise of dating and romance, reports Xinhua news agency.
Over 2021, A$56 million ($40 million) were reported to have been lost in romance-related scams.
However, the ACCC said this is likely just the tip of the iceberg, and the real figure may be close to 10 times more.
“It’s important to look out for friends or family members who are using online dating apps and talk about how to spot romance scams,” said ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard in a statement.
Cybersecurity expert and senior lecturer in criminology at Monash University Lennon Chang told Xinhua that he was not surprised at the increasing number of reports of online fraud.
“There is interesting data showing that physical crime actually decreased … but cybercrime, especially online fraud, is definitely on the increase … (it is) definitely related to the Covid situation.”
The report also highlighted the fact that older generations, people over 55, accounted for close to half of all losses in romance scams, with women being more vulnerable than men.
Chang said it was important that public messaging reached the people who were most prone to being targeted by the instigators of cybercrime, such as people without strong social support networks or who speak English as a second language.
“One good thing is that we see the Australian government is starting to use different languages to promote awareness, which is a good thing.”
He also noted that the Australian government would need to join forces with different countries in order to target cybercrime as instigators often work from overseas.
He said that it was important that the stigma around the victims of online scams was cast away so that people were prepared to seek help when they felt uncomfortable online.
“During a festival like Valentine’s, I think people should be more vigilant and don’t be afraid to tell people if they fall victim to a scam,” warned Chang.
IANS