Australians lost almost a quarter of a billion dollars in the first three months of 2026, with online cons driving the largest losses.
Scammers cheated Aussies out of $248.3 million in the period, according to 60,657 reports received by Scamwatch and ReportCyber.
However, the number of scam reports and losses fell by roughly a sixth compared to the same three months in 2025, in a sign that efforts by governments, regulators, industry, and police are working.
"That said, we caution against drawing too much from one quarter of data as reports and losses typically move around somewhat," the consumer watchdog, which oversees Scamwatch, said in a statement.
"We will continue to monitor closely to see whether this quarter's data represents the beginning of a trend."
