Reported losses to scam incidents rose to about $119 million in the first four months of the year despite a slight drop in overall reported cases.
The National Anti-Scam Centre, citing data from Scamwatch, said reported losses from scams reached $118,993,148 in the first four months of 2025.
This is up by 28% from the same time last year, but 38% below the $193.2 million in reported losses in the first four months of 2023.
The increase in losses comes despite a 24% drop in reported cases to 72,230, according to the centre.
"While the average and median losses per victim have slightly decreased, the rise in overall financial loss and the number of people being impacted is a reminder to stay alert," said Catriona Lowe, deputy chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which oversees the centre.
According to the anti-scam centre, Australians lost $59 million to investment scams, accounting for more than half of all reported scam losses in early 2025, despite a 1.4% decrease from last year.
Phishing scams reported the biggest increase in reported losses during the period, accounting for $13.7 million in financial losses, up from the $4.6 million in early 2024.
Social media scams also saw a significant 50% increase in reports, hitting 3,300 reports totalling $23.4 million.
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