Australians Lost $2.18 Billion to Scams in 2025
This is not one scam but all of them added together. The total shows how much money moves from people to criminals in a single year.
By Siddharth ShankarUpdated October 11, 2026The Targeting Scams report from the National Anti-Scam Centre and ACCC Scamwatch, published March 30, 2026, says combined scam losses in Australia in 2025 were $2.18 billion, up 7.8% from 2024, from 481,523 reports. Investment scams cost $837.7 million. ASIC says it removed more than 14,000 scam websites and ads over two years. See how scammers find you.
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Most of the cases in this series are single incidents. This one is the total. It matters because statistics show which scams are growing and which ones people encounter most.
What happened
According to the Targeting Scams report, combined losses in 2025 were $2.18 billion, up 7.8% from $2.0 billion in 2024. There were 481,523 scam reports, down 2.3%. The report was published on March 30, 2026.
The five biggest categories by loss were investment scams ($837.7 million), payment redirection ($166.8 million), romance ($139.9 million), phishing ($97.6 million) and remote access scams ($69.9 million). Together, the top five account for 60% of losses.
How it worked
Different categories use different hooks. Investment scams promise returns. Payment redirection impersonates a business to change bank details. Romance scams build a relationship. Phishing steals logins. Remote access scams get a person to give control of their computer.
ASIC adds a detail about investment scams. Scam sites use fake news pages with AI-generated celebrity fakes that collect contact details for follow-up phone pitches.
What was exposed
The national report counts money, not data. But ASIC's description shows what often comes first: contact details. A person who enters a phone number or email into a fake celebrity-endorsed page is giving a scammer a lead for a follow-up call.
How it ended
There is no single ending. The year's total went up while the number of reports fell. By our arithmetic, that means each reported scam cost more on average, though not every loss is reported. ASIC says it removed more than 14,000 investment scam and phishing websites and ads between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2025, about 8,330 fake investment platform scams, 2,465 phishing hyperlinks and 3,015 crypto investment scams, and that it removes about 130 malicious sites a week.
Australians lost $945 million to investment scams in 2024, according to the National Anti-Scam Centre quoted by ASIC.
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How to read the headline
A national total mixes very different crimes, and the figures are those reported to authorities, so true losses are likely higher. The top five categories account for 60% of losses, which means the remaining 40% is spread across many other types.
The report's value for ordinary readers is directional. It shows where money is going, which makes it easier to decide which defenses matter most: for most households, verification habits around investments and payments.
Key facts at a glance
- Combined losses in 2025: $2.18 billion, up 7.8%
- Reports: 481,523, down 2.3%
- Investment scams: $837.7 million
- Payment redirection: $166.8 million
- Romance: $139.9 million
- Top five share of losses: 60%
Why this case matters
It is easy to think of scams as isolated and embarrassing. The national figure shows they are an industry. With reports down and losses up, the average reported loss rose.
The ASIC detail about contact harvesting is the most useful for individuals. It shows that a small action, such as leaving your number on a form, can start a long chain.
What you can do
1Do not give contact details to ads that promise investment returns
A celebrity endorsement is not a recommendation.
2Check any investment on the official registers
Use ASIC's registers before sending money.
3Confirm bank detail changes by phone
This addresses payment redirection, the second biggest category.
4Reduce what is available about you
What ASIC's takedowns show
ASIC says it removed more than 14,000 sites and ads over two years. That is a large number, and yet new sites appear quickly. The agency's figure of about 130 malicious sites a week suggests the problem is continual.
A takedown protects people who would have clicked. It does not help those who already did. If you entered your number into a suspicious investment page, expect calls, do not engage, and consider changing the number's public listings.
What the sources do not say
The pages give no breakdown by bank, telco or social media platform, and they do not estimate unreported losses. For a payment redirection case that ended well, see the $813,000 conveyancing scam.
To turn the lesson into action, our guides explain how scammers find your phone number and email, how to prevent identity theft and what an exposed phone number means. You can also try our free digital footprint check.
Sources
- Scamwatch: Targeting scams report (National Anti-Scam Centre, 2025 data) ($2.18 billion combined losses, 481,523 reports, top five scam types)
- ASIC: Scammers on notice as ASIC steps up action against online investment scams (more than 14,000 scam websites and ads removed, $945 million investment-scam losses in 2024)
Frequently asked questions
How much did Australians lose to scams in 2025?
$2.18 billion in combined losses, up 7.8% from 2024, according to the Targeting Scams report.
Which scam type cost the most?
Investment scams, at $837.7 million.
How many reports were there?
481,523 scam reports, down 2.3% from the previous year.
What is ASIC doing about scam sites?
ASIC says it removed more than 14,000 investment scam and phishing sites and ads between July 2023 and June 2025, and removes about 130 malicious sites a week.
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