What is Scams Awareness Week 2025?
From 25–29 August 2025, Australian businesses are encouraged to participate in Scams Awareness Week, bringing to light the devastating effects that are seen via scams.
The National Anti-Scam Centre’s 2024 Targeting Scams Report showed these alarming figures, with 494,732 incident reports, totalling $2.03 billion AUD in losses.
This annual campaign, led by the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) in partnership with ScamWatch and the Scam Awareness Network, is riding the theme “Stop. Check. Protect.” that encourages practical, proactive action to fight scammers when something feels suspicious or doesn’t seem right.
STOP. (Pause and think)
CHECK. (Verify independently)
PROTECT. (Take proactive steps)
These three steps aim to remind everyone that they can, and should, take control when something doesn’t feel right. Businesses are invited to incorporate this messaging into their communications using ready-made email signatures, social media assets, posters, and more.
Financial Losses from Scams in 2024
- The number of actual reports dropped by 25.9%, however the total losses number was still over $2 billion.
- Investment scams caused the highest losses, amounting to $945 million.
- The top five scam categories were investment, romance, payment redirection fraud, remote access scams, and phishing, which accounted for over 70% of total reported losses.
- Phone scams incurred the highest overall losses, with $107.2 million, reported by 2,179 individuals, with a median loss of $3,900 per victim.
- Threat-based scams had slightly more reports (up 8.3% to 6,071), with stable total losses of $13.9 million, but individuals lost more per incident, a median of $3,220 (double 2024’s numbers).
- Small businesses alone suffered greatly, with a total of $13.1 million in losses, showcasing that criminals do not discriminate when it comes to scams towards different business sizes.
Financial Losses from Scams in 2025 (January-July)
- Australians reported 108,305 scams during the first half of 2025.
- Total financial losses reached approximately $174.8 million, representing a 26% increase compared to January–June 2024.
- The average reported loss per incident was approximately $12,212
- Phishing scams accounted for around AUD 19.5 million, driven in part by a surge in cryptocurrency impersonation scams.
These figures underscore how scammers are adapting and reaching victims through digital platforms. The National Anti-Scam Centre is encouraging businesses across sectors to collaborate, by sharing data to better disrupt scams. Combining “unremarkable” data points can spark strong scam-fighting intelligence through NASC’s “fusion cells.”
How Scams Awareness Week Can Save your Business
Each year, Scams Awareness Week shines a spotlight on one of the biggest risks facing Australians today, fraud and cyber-enabled scams. For businesses, the impact of scams isn’t just financial, it can decrease customer trust, disrupt operations, and even put sensitive data and systems at risk. Understanding the lessons from Scams Awareness Week can help businesses take proactive steps to stay safe.
To turn awareness into action, businesses should:
- Train employees regularly – Staff are the first line of defence. Ongoing cybersecurity awareness training helps them spot Phishing, fraudulent links, and fake invoices.
- Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – MFA reduces the risk of compromised accounts.
- Review financial processes – Ensure payment requests are verified through multiple channels.
- Stay updated on scam alerts – Use Scamwatch and National Anti-Scam Centre updates to stay informed.
How Adept IT Solutions can Help Protect Your Business from Scams
Adept IT Solutions is here to help!
With over 20 years of experience, Adept IT Solutions has the knowledge and familiarity of scams that have come and gone over the past two decades. Staying up to date on modern scams is crucial to our services, ensuring that we can provide the most accurate and beneficial support to our valued clients.
If your business is ready to take the next step towards ensuring a secure and reliable cybersecurity system, contact us today!
You can reach us at 1300 423 378 or simply email us at info@adept-it.com.au.
