{"id":43884,"date":"2021-06-07T17:02:07","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T14:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=43884"},"modified":"2025-08-31T14:26:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T11:26:35","slug":"fraudsters-swindle-australians-out-of-more-than-20-million-in-bitcoin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/fraudsters-swindle-australians-out-of-more-than-20-million-in-bitcoin\/","title":{"rendered":"Fraudsters swindle Australians out of more than $20 million in Bitcoin"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2020, criminals stole more than $39 million from Australians through scam schemes that included Bitcoin and other payment methods, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) reported.<\/p>\n

According to the regulator, last year Australians lost AU$659 million due to scammers. The most common method of theft was bank-transfer schemes. In this segment, consumer losses rose by 40% \u2014 to AU$97.66 million (~$75.25 million).<\/p>\n

\"Fraudsters
Payment methods used by scammers in scam schemes. Data: ACCC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bitcoin was the second-most popular category. Scammers extorted AU$26.65 million (~$20.68 million) from Australians in digital gold.<\/p>\n

Next comes the category \u201cother payment methods,\u201d which included some cryptocurrencies, mobile top-ups, payment systems such as Skrill, Neosurf vouchers and others. They accounted for AU$24.18 million (~$18.76 million).<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cBitcoin and other payment methods have become a commonplace way for criminals to obtain money. [\u2026] It is quite likely that in the coming years we will see broader use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in scams,\u201d the regulator added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

According to the report, scam schemes using digital assets vary greatly. For example, in one of the strategies outlined in the document, criminals targeted victims on dating apps.<\/p>\n

Criminals also promised easy wealth through investments, often urging people to invest in cryptocurrency. Fake accounts of celebrities were frequently used.<\/p>\n

Recall that, according to analytics company ChipherTrace, in 2020 the damage from crimes related to digital assets reached $1.9 billion<\/a>. Over the period, user losses fell by 57% \u2014 in 2019 the figure was $4.5 billion.<\/p>\n

Targeting Scams \u2014 Report of the ACCC on Scams Activity 2020<\/a> by ForkLog<\/a> on Scribd<\/p>\n