Consumer Affairs Minister Tony Robinson has urged people to be aware of online scams as part of National Consumer Fraud Week, which runs until March 15.

“Scammers are getting more sophisticated in their approach to conning you out of your money and personal information, using email and other forms of technology to get to you,” he said.

Mr Robinson said Consumer Affairs Victoria had received nearly 300 inquiries and about 20 complaints about online fraud scams this financial year.

He pointed out, however, that some victims did not report being scammed because they were too embarrassed to come forward.

Examples of online scams include: Fake advertisements for cars or rental properties posted on genuine websites; Emails pretending to be from banks and other financial institutions requesting personal information such as PINs and passwords; Emails claiming the recipient has won a lottery or prize draw they never entered and requesting payment of an administration fee to release the winnings; Identity theft from social networking sites; and Dating scams, where fraudsters posing as people genuinely looking for love seek to defraud Victorians with hard-luck stories.

For more information about scams, or to dob in a scam, contact Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1300 55 81 81 or visit www.consumer.vic.gov.au