{"id":113619,"date":"2015-07-13T14:41:59","date_gmt":"2015-07-13T04:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=113619"},"modified":"2020-11-23T11:26:15","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T01:26:15","slug":"dont-fall-for-love-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/07\/13\/dont-fall-for-love-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Fall For Love Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Does your online girlfriend urgently require money for an operation? It is most likely a scam …<\/figcaption><\/figure> July 13, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Australian banks are urging customers to be wary of who they send money to online, as the incidence of romance fraud rises.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately we are seeing more and more Australians falling victim to online romance scams,” Australian Bankers\u2019 Association Chief Executive Steven M\u00fcnchenberg said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the emotive nature of this scam, it can be difficult to recognise the difference between a scammer and a genuine person. That\u2019s why we have put together some common scam stories (see video below) to help raise red flags for anyone in a similar situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBank customers need to be aware of how widespread this type of crime is. Scammers are experts in social engineering and are very convincing in preying on people\u2019s emotions to defraud them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to guard your personal and financial details and seek advice from loved ones before sending any money. Please also contact your bank immediately if you think you have given confidential details to a scammer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says $45 million has been reported lost in Australia to scams so far this year and 45,000 complaints made.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cScammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to get your money or personal details. Scams succeed because they look like the real thing and catch you off guard when you\u2019re not expecting it,\u201d ACCC Acting Chair Delia Rickard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cScams target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels across Australia. There’s no one group of people who are more likely to become a victim of a scam and all of us may be vulnerable to a scam at some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the ACCC\u2019s 2014 Targeting scams report:<\/strong><\/p>\n