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The Latest Breaking News from Catriona Lowe

Scammers fleece Aussies of almost $250m in three months

Cybercriminals are continuing to target Australians online to scam them out of their savings, but efforts to foil the swindlers appear to be working.

AAP

Landmark lawsuit over kids' backpacks sold by Amazon

Australia's consumer watchdog has taken the world's biggest retailer to court over accusations it failed to comply with button battery safety warnings.

AAP

Consumer watchdog chomps down on Black Friday swindlers

Phony countdowns and puffed-up sale offerings across Black Friday have put about two dozen retailers in the consumer watchdog's crosshairs.

AAP

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Victorian business fined for telling influencers to lie about paid Instagram posts in first of its kind penalty

Watchdog also fines PhotobookShop for editing a paid review from an influencer who had described process as ‘fiddly’

The Guardian - AU

CommBank cops record fine over data right breaches

Australia's biggest company has paid a record fine for breaches of data sharing rules, after it failed to enable sharing for certain account types.

AAP

Online ‘ghost stores’ capitalising on Christmas and Black Friday sales to lure shoppers, ACCC warns

Consumers advised to be sceptical about sales season discounts as AI makes it even harder to detect scams

The Guardian - AU

Product recalls rise as power banks surge in popularity

More than 34,000 portable chargers have been called back by the consumer watchdog in the last five years due to fears for people's safety.

AAP

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Australia’s Consumer Watchdog Warns Of ‘Ghost Stores’ Scamming Online Shoppers

Australia's consumer watchdog has warned of alleged "ghost stores" scamming shoppers with misleading ads and dodgy products.

Pedestrian.tv

Australian consumer watchdog issues public warning about ‘ghost stores’ and urges Meta and Shopify to crack down

ACCC says asking e-commerce platforms to act is more effective than traditional enforcement, given operators are mostly overseas and difficult to identify

The Guardian - AU

Banana Boat & Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreens Sued By ACCC For Alleged Greenwashing

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accused Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic of greenwashing in its products.

Pedestrian.tv

Optus agrees to $100m penalty for selling phones to customers who couldn’t afford them or were out of range

Telco’s chief executive says company ‘failed customers’ and conduct was inexcusable

The Guardian - AU

Optus says yes to record $100m fine for dodgy sales

Optus has agreed to a record fine for "unconscionable" sales to hundreds of consumers, including in remote Indigenous communities its network didn't cover.

AAP

Watchdog bites over dodgy ads during Black Friday sales

Michael Hill Jeweller, MyHouse and Hairhouse Warehouse Online have been hit with fines for allegedly making false claims over their Black Friday sales

AAP

Scammers cheat Aussies out of millions in four months

The consumer watchdog is calling on businesses to share data to combat financial scams, as the value of money lost to criminals soars.

AAP

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AAP

Scams costing Aussies $2 billion despite losses falling

The amount Australians lost to scams fell by 25 per cent in 2024 to $2 billion as widespread campaigns to reduce their financial burden continue.

AAP

Firms risk watchdog attack over dodgy ads during sales

Businesses are being warned against using misleading advertising ahead of a major sales period, as the consumer watchdog found a number of concerning practices.

The Guardian - AU

Consumer watchdog urges crackdown on businesses using Centrepay to cause financial harm

It is alleged energy companies deducted money from welfare payments of people, including Indigenous Australians, who were no longer customers

The Guardian - AU

Bad actors seizing on Microsoft IT outage to scam public, Clare O’Neil warns

Home affairs minister says small businesses should be cautious of emails from people posing as CrowdStrike or Microsoft

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AAP

LG battery recall ramps up as 4400 homes remain at risk

Faulty solar batteries that have caused house fires are still being used in thousands of Australian homes, forcing LG to intensify recall efforts.

AAP

Mazda fined $11.5m for misleading buyers on faulty cars

One of Australia's most popular car brands has been fined $11.5 million for misleading nine customers about their rights to refunds or replacement cars.

AAP

Solar battery faces compulsory recall after house fires

Australia's consumer watchdog is weighing up whether to issue a compulsory recall for an LG solar battery after 13 fires, including one that destroyed a house.

AAP

Not fit for purpose: Fitbit fined $11m for false claims

Australia's Federal Court has issued Fitbit with an $11 million penalty for making misleading claims to customers who complained about faulty devices.

AAP

Principles guard truth in 'eco-friendly' product claims

Shoppers wanting a more sustainable option have fresh protection against false environmental claims under principles for businesses released by the regulator.

AAP

Bad influence: social media stars and firms exposed

A sweep by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has found that many online influencers and businesses are misleading the public.

The Guardian - AU

Jet trip followed guidelines, minister’s office says – as it happened

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