THE little black book of scams
,THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF SCAMS 1
Your guide to scams, swindles, rorts and rip-offs
,Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
23 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601
First published by the ACCC 2008
This revised edition published by the ACCC 2011
Illustrations by Pat Campbell
© Commonwealth of Australia 2011
This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the
Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior
written permission from the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and
rights should be addressed to the Director Publishing, ACCC,
GPO Box 3131, Canberra ACT 2601, or .
Important notice
The information in this publication is for general guidance only. It
does not constitute legal or other professional advice, and should not
be relied on as a statement of the law in any jurisdiction. Because it is
intended only as a general guide, it may contain generalisations. You
should obtain professional advice if you have any specific concern.
The ACCC has made every reasonable effort to provide current and
accurate information, but it does not make any guarantees regarding
the accuracy, currency or completeness of that information.
ISBN 978 1 921393 22 8
ACCC 09/11_23268_425
www.scamwatch.gov.au
, CONTENTS
Introduction 5
Lotteries, sweepstakes and competitions 6
Chain letters and pyramid scams 8
Golden investment opportunities 10
Betting and computer prediction software 12
Money transfer requests 14
Banking, credit card and online account scams 16
Internet scams 18
Mobile phone scams 20
Health and medical scams 22
Psychic and clairvoyant scams 24
Dating and romance scams 26
Charity scams 28
Door-to-door scams 30
Job and employment scams 32
Small business scams 34
Scams DO happen 36
Handy hints to protect yourself 38
Scams and you: what to do if you get scammed! 40
Getting help and reporting a scam 42
,THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF SCAMS 1
Your guide to scams, swindles, rorts and rip-offs
,Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
23 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601
First published by the ACCC 2008
This revised edition published by the ACCC 2011
Illustrations by Pat Campbell
© Commonwealth of Australia 2011
This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the
Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior
written permission from the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and
rights should be addressed to the Director Publishing, ACCC,
GPO Box 3131, Canberra ACT 2601, or .
Important notice
The information in this publication is for general guidance only. It
does not constitute legal or other professional advice, and should not
be relied on as a statement of the law in any jurisdiction. Because it is
intended only as a general guide, it may contain generalisations. You
should obtain professional advice if you have any specific concern.
The ACCC has made every reasonable effort to provide current and
accurate information, but it does not make any guarantees regarding
the accuracy, currency or completeness of that information.
ISBN 978 1 921393 22 8
ACCC 09/11_23268_425
www.scamwatch.gov.au
, CONTENTS
Introduction 5
Lotteries, sweepstakes and competitions 6
Chain letters and pyramid scams 8
Golden investment opportunities 10
Betting and computer prediction software 12
Money transfer requests 14
Banking, credit card and online account scams 16
Internet scams 18
Mobile phone scams 20
Health and medical scams 22
Psychic and clairvoyant scams 24
Dating and romance scams 26
Charity scams 28
Door-to-door scams 30
Job and employment scams 32
Small business scams 34
Scams DO happen 36
Handy hints to protect yourself 38
Scams and you: what to do if you get scammed! 40
Getting help and reporting a scam 42
