MORE than 1200 cases of fraud have been reported in Canberra this year, says ACT Policing, as International Fraud Awareness Week comes to an end tomorrow (November 17). 

Acts of fraud cost the world about $3.7 trillion each year, while it’s estimated the typical business loses five per cent of annual revenue to fraud.

In Canberra ACT police say the most common type of fraud reported this year has been with payWave but other types of fraud were reported around cheque or credit card fraud, obtaining property by deception and counterfeit currency offences.

Detective acting station sergeant Harry Hains says any person of any age can be the victim of fraud.

But, he says, there are a number of ways people can protect themselves from acts of fraud.

“Don’t open suspicious texts or emails – delete them, don’t send money or give credit card, online account details or copies of personal documents to anyone you don’t know or trust,” he says.

“Choose passwords that would be difficult for others to guess, and update them regularly. Don’t use the same password for every account, and don’t share them with anyone.

“Be very careful about how much personal information you share, particularly on social media sites.

“If you have been a victim of fraud, please don’t stay silent – information reports from members of the public allow police to investigate instances of fraud and bring charges against those responsible.

“If you see something that doesn’t seem right, or a deal that seems too good to be true, please report it to police or ScamWatch.”

Anyone with information relating to acts of fraud or scams that could assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333000 or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. You can also contact ScamWatch via their website.