Think you’ve been scammed? We can support you.

This Scams Awareness Week, we’re sharing information about how financial counselling can play an important role in getting your finances back on track if you have lost money to a scammer.

Yvette Dawe manages Anglicare Tasmania’s financial counselling program and its team of 18 trained professional financial counsellors. She says scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and no one is immune.

“We know from our service that scams happen to people from all stages and walks of life. Scammers can be incredibly convincing, and even people who are naturally cautious and tech-savvy can find themselves taken in,” she said.

Yvette said it’s common for people to have taken out a loan, or fallen behind in their bill payments as a result of the scam, and this has made their financial situation precarious.

“While we can’t help people get their money back from the scammers, we can help them take back control of their financial situation,” she said.

“A financial counsellor can support you with free, friendly and confidential advice about your next best steps. We may be able to advocate on your behalf so that creditors offer you a hardship plan or another type of payment plan that gives you breathing space and time to recover.

“We are always non-judgemental. We understand that it can be difficult to ask for help, but our support can make a real difference.”

Scams Awareness Week is a national campaign run by the Australian Government’s National Anti-Scam Centre.

Its ScamWatch service is designed to raise awareness about scams and keep people safe.

The campaign features short videos showing real people in real situations. They include someone having their house building deposit stolen; a romance scam where someone builds a relationship with you and then pressures you into giving them money; and an impersonation scam, where someone pretends to be a family member and requests an urgent bank transfer.

ScamWatch says these three simple steps can help keep you safe:

• stop before you share money or personal information
• check who you’re really dealing with by using contact details you find yourself; and
• protect yourself and others by reporting scams to your bank, cyber.gov.au and ScamWatch.

How do I contact a financial counsellor?

Call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 and you will reach a professional financial counsellor from Anglicare Tasmania. They can support you over the phone or arrange face-to-face meetings to discuss your situation.

Find out more about Anglicare’s financial counselling service here.