While most of us see Christmas as a joyous fun time, a time with
family, catch up with friends, cricket and BBQs, but for a nasty
few it is prime scam time.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission reports
people lost $75million to scammers in 2015. The ACCC received
85,000 complaints about scams with ten per cent of callers saying
they had lost money to the fraudsters.
The scammers like Christmas because many people are at home and
relaxed. People don't expect somebody to try and rip them off
when they are on holiday. Many people are lonely at this time and
are vulnerable to clever scammers who prey on them.
The ACCC Scamwatch site lists some common scams.
- Fake charities are big at Christmas with scammers impersonating
genuine charities or natural disaster fundraising asking for
donations. Check their credentials, better still only donate
through their accredited office or website.
