The Hon. Kristy McBain MP

Federal Member for Eden-Monaro

Cooma residents are invited to attend an Anti-Scam Forum hosted by the Hon Kristy McBain, Member for Eden-Monaro and the Hon Stephen Jones, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services.

The forum will be held at the Alpine Hotel in Cooma at 1pm on Tuesday, 24 April 2024.

This event follows a series of hugely successful local forums held in Narooma, Queanbeyan, and Merimbula. These forums have been critical in raising awareness and have equipped residents with the information and tools to protect themselves against scammers. 

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones will be providing Cooma residents with information about common scams, tricks that scammers use to target victims and will provide an update about what the Australian Government is doing to protect Australians from scams.

The National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) was officially launched by Minister Jones in 2023 and brings together the best expertise and resources across government agencies, law enforcement and the private sector to:

• disrupt scammers before they reach Australians
• raise consumer awareness about the nature of scams and how to avoid them, and;
• link scam victims to services when they've lost money or had their identity compromised

If you or anyone you know receive a suspicious call, text or email, take these steps to protect yourself:

• Stop– take your time before giving money or personal information.
• Think– ask yourself if the message or call could be fake?
• Protect – act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank and report scams to Scamwatch.

Quotes attributable to Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain:

“People in Cooma are busier than ever and access more key services through mobile devices and on online – which is convenient, but increases the likelihood we’ll encounter scam activity.

“Australians lost over $3 billion to scams in 2022 alone, which is why we’re working with the private and public sector through the National Anti-Scam Centre to fight these criminals.

“It’s important Cooma residents are alert to scams, and know how to protect themselves. I encourage community members to attend next week’s Anti-Scam Forum to access essential advice to do just that.”