Govt announces anti-scams centre

The federal government has announced the establishment of a cutting‑edge National Anti‑Scams Centre (NASC) as part of an $86.5 million package. 

The NASC will sit within the ACCC and be operational from 1 July 2023. In a world‑leading partnership between government agencies, banks, telcos, and digital platforms, the NASC’s purpose is to: 

• Use cutting‑edge technology to share intelligence across government and with authorised industry participants to interrupt scams in real-time; 
• Combine the expertise of the government and the private sector to disrupt scams; and
• Raise consumer awareness of the risk of scams and how to avoid them. 

Australians lost over $3 billion to scams in 2022 alone, and scam losses have increased nearly five‑fold since 2020. The average loss from a scam is around $20,000. The average household has about $34,000 in savings. 

Funding was included as part of the FY23 Budget.