Every year, Australians lose millions of dollars to the activities of scammers who bombard us with online, mail, door-to-door and telephone scams.

Scams target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels. Fake lotteries, advance-fee frauds, get-rich-quick schemes and miracle health cures are some of the favoured means of separating the unwary from heir money. New varieties of these scams appear all the time.

We have seen the devastating effects scams can have on people and their families. One of the best ways to combat this kind of fraud is to help you take measures to prevent yourself being caught out in the first place.

If you want to stay on top of scams, visit our SCAMwatch website (www.scamwatch.gov.au). SCAMwatch contains information on dozens of different scams targeting consumers and small businesses, tips on guarding against scams, victim stories from Australian consumers, regular scam alerts and advice on reporting a scam.

Just remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!