CANBERRA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government launched an anti-scam center on Monday to prevent financial losses and support victims.
Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones said that the new National Anti-Scams Center (NASC) would bring together experts from government agencies, law enforcement and the financial sector to disrupt scammers.
A report published by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in April revealed that Australians lost 3.1 billion Australian dollars (2.06 billion U.S. dollars) to scams last year, an 80-percent increase in total losses recorded in 2021.
Fake investment scams were the most damaging, accounting for almost half the total loss, with people aged 65 and over the most vulnerable.
"There is a scamdemic. No one is safe. Scammers are getting more sophisticated and costing Australians billions of dollars," Jones told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"The top priority of our new National Anti-Scams Center is to detect and disrupt scammers before they can reach Australians."
To coincide with its establishment, the NASC launched a task force to address high-profile and damaging investment scams with a focus on early intervention to disrupt scams and removing scam websites.
Headed up by the ACCC and Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the task force will operate for six months, after which its outcomes will be publicly reported.
The NASC will also take on the role of linking scam victims with support services.
At the time of releasing April's report, ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said it was clear that a coordinated national response was needed to tackle scams. ■