Stop the Scams Campaign Update – by Milton Dick
Over the past few months, I’ve taken my campaign against scammers to Retirement Villages across the Electorate, teaching local seniors all about the importance of being scam-aware.
I’ve been to Rosemount Retirement Village, Redbank Palms, Aveo Durack, Highview Forest Lake, Redbank Seasons, and Oak Tree Retirement Village – with plans to visit many more.
This campaign came about after a number of locals contacted my office, asking for help after being targeted by these vile criminals. I am sick and tired of hearing stories of locals getting ripped off and losing their hard-earned money. It is unacceptable that hardworking people and their families in our community are being preyed upon by these deceitful and fraudulent scammers.
It’s not just our community being impacted. The ACCC has confirmed that in 2022, Aussies lost at least $3.1 billion to scams – an 80 per cent increase from the year before.
I’m committed to doing everything I can to put an end to the business model of these heartless people, by ensuring that our local community is equipped with the knowledge and tools to stop attempted scams in their tracks.
I have been working with the Federal Government and enforcement agencies to put together a plan to tackle this issue and protect our community, and I’m proud to say that the Federal Albanese Government is taking it seriously.
The government has committed to launching offensive attacks on online scammers, with a $58 million war-chest for a National Anti-Scam centre, launching this month.
The Anti-Scam centre will bring together experts across regulators, law enforcement, the finance sector, telecommunications and social media platforms, using their expertise to go after scammers and bring them to justice.
If you’ve been targeted by a scammer – I want to hear about it, and I want to help. You can contact my office at Milton.Dick.MP@aph.gov.au or on (07) 3879 6440.
