NSW residents most impacted by scams in July, as lockdown impacts

Cybersecurity agency Proofpoint says that according to the latest figures from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch reporrt as the Delta variant of COVID-19 hit NSW the hardest, state residents were most affected by scams relating to jobs and employment, accounting for 76% of all money lost in the state, as well as investment scams which saw NSW residents lose more than $5.7 million.

Proofpoint says that across Australia, more than 26,700 scams were reported in July, a 11% increase compared to June and an increase of 44% compared to the same month last year, while the $27.1 million lost to scams was more than double the same month last year.

Proofpoint notes that other key findings include:

• So far in 2021, Australians have lost more than $166.2 million to scams, in contrast to the $173.3 million lost throughout the entire 2020.
• Despite reporting a similar number of scams, men lost more money in July than women…