Australian scam statistics: the numbers behind the problem

The scale of the problem

Scams cost Australians billions of dollars every year. The figures are staggering — and they only represent what gets reported. The true cost is estimated to be significantly higher.

Key statistics

Financial losses

• $3.1 billion lost to scams in 2023 (ACCC National Anti-Scam Centre)
• $2.7 billion lost in 2022
• Average loss per victim: $23,000 for investment scams
• SMS and phone scams account for 79% of all reported scam contacts

Reporting

• 601,000+ scam reports filed with Scamwatch in 2023
• Only an estimated 13% of scam victims report the incident
• Reports from people aged 65+ increased by 20% year on year

Most common scam types

1. Investment scams — $1.3 billion lost (largest single category)
2. Remote access scams — $229 million lost
3. Romance scams — $201 million lost
4. Phishing (including smishing) — $137 million lost
5. Identity theft — $92 million lost

Contact methods

Scammers reach Australians through multiple channels:

• Phone calls — 48% of scam contacts
• SMS (smishing) — 31% of scam contacts
• Email — 15% of scam contacts
• Social media — 4% of scam contacts
• Other — 2%

Who is most affected

By age group

• 18-24: Highest number of reports but lower average losses
• 25-44: Growing target for investment and job scams
• 45-64: Higher average losses per incident
• 65+: Most targeted by phone and SMS scams, highest total losses

By state

• NSW — highest total losses ($890 million)
• VIC — second highest ($720 million)
• QLD — third ($510 million)

The trend is worsening

Scam losses have increased every year for the past five years. Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, using AI-generated content, spoofed phone numbers, and personalised targeting that makes messages harder to distinguish from legitimate communications.

What's being done

The Australian government established the National Anti-Scam Centre in 2023 to coordinate scam prevention. Key initiatives include:

• SMS Sender ID Registry — preventing spoofed business SMS
• Mandatory scam reporting for banks and telcos
• Scamwatch — the national scam reporting and awareness platform

How you can help

• Report scams to Scamwatch — every report helps identify new scam patterns
• Talk to family and friends about common scam tactics
• Use tools like Paxello to check suspicious messages before responding

Data sources: ACCC Targeting Scams Report 2023, National Anti-Scam Centre, Scamwatch.