THE HON STEPHEN JONES MP

ASSISTANT TREASURER

MINISTER FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES

MEMBER FOR WHITLAM

Following high demand, a third Southern Highlands ‘Scams Awareness’ forum has been held today, this time at Moss Vale Services Club.

Hosted by Member for Whitlam Stephen Jones, the latest local forum outlined how Moss Vale and Mittagong residents can protect themselves against scams, how to recognise them and what to do if they’ve been scammed.

It comes after two previous forums were held in Bowral and Robertson earlier this year, which saw hundreds of residents brought up to date on consumer awareness.

At today’s packed forum, the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services also facilitated a discussion on not just how to recognise a scam, but what the Federal Government is doing to protect Australians from scams. At the conclusion of the event, positive feedback was received from seniors in attendance.

As the Government continues to combat sophisticated scam activity against some of our most vulnerable Australians, regional communities like the Southern Highlands are being encouraged to continue to raise awareness about scam prevention.

Last month, a $86.5 million package was announced to help combat scams and online fraud, headlined by the establishment of a cutting-edge National Anti-Scams Centre (NAS).

The NASC will be the Government’s primary weapon to detect, disrupt and deter scammers and tackle online fraud. In a world-leading partnership between government agencies, banks, telcos and digital platforms, the NASC will: 

• use cutting-edge technology to share intelligence across Government and with authorised industry participants to interrupt scams in real time;
• combine the expertise of Government and the private sector to disrupt scams and;
• raise consumer awareness on the risk of scams and how to avoid them.

 Quotes attributable to Stephen Jones, Member for Whitlam:

“Every year, Australians are losing billions of dollars to scammers, and in 2022 the ACCC reported those aged over 65 lost more than $120 million alone to scammers, more than any age group,”

“Every time I run a local scams forum, I hear more and more stories of people in our community who have lost thousands to scammers. These forums are crucial in raising consumer awareness, because Australians who are aware, alert and educated will make Australia a harder target for scammers.”