As part of National Fraud Awareness Week, Police from the High-Tech Crime Squad are urging Territorians to be vigilant and to report any suspicious ‘scam’ like behaviour.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Meghan Funnell said in 2012 alone, Australians lost approximately $93 million to scams.

“During those 12 months, Territorians lost more than $550,000 and we’re working hard to reduce the number of unsuspecting victims daily,” Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Funnell said.

The top 10 scams reported to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in 2012 are as follows:

See table

“Though these are the top grossing scams Australia wide, there are many more out there and new scams being created daily.“If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”The ACCC’s Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce launched their ‘Outsmart the scammers!’ campaign this week, which focuses on helping Australians identity online shopping scams.The Taskforce comprises 23 government agencies across Australia and New Zealand with responsibility for consumer protection regarding frauds and scams.“We are all working hard together to identity offenders and bring them to justice.”

To report a possible scam, visit https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/reportascam/For more information on the Taskforce and National Consumer Fraud Week, including common online shopping scams, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au/outsmartthescammers. To download the ACCC’s Targeting scams report, visit www.accc.gov.au.