WA young people aged 18 to 24 are falling victim to online scams and it’s more normal than you think.

This topic of conversation has resurfaced after the WA government issued a warning on Tuesday for people to remain vigilant after a collective $1.4 million was scammed from two West Australian victims.

It has also gained traction through August’s scam awareness week where the theme was share a story, stop a scam. NAB joined the campaign and hosted The Big Scam Education Conversation, a free-to-join zoom call to talk about scam prevention.

Gen Z often stereotyped as ‘tech savvy’ seemingly subverts expectations they are less susceptible to scams online. Yet data released by the ACCC in a 2024 report indicates Gen Z are persistently victimised by scams. Is this an indication scams are getting smarter or young people are getting careless?

RMIT university Professor Asha Rao has done extensive research into scams, she says it is both. Scams are constantly evolving but she also cautions carelessness is still a prevalent factor. Professor Rao has fallen victim to a scam herself.

Commenting on current 2024 data (until July) she says it still requires more sources until a concrete picture can be had about 2024. WA ScamNet officer Judith Tighe confirmed the 2023 data is currently the most reliable.

What can be confirmed is WA young people are especially vulnerable to employment and online ad scams, as Judith Tighe explains.

The common advice from WA ScamNet and experts is to pause, wait a few seconds and process what you see.

Apply a healthy scepticism and then respond to the situation.

Scam victims are urged to contact WA ScamNet and report the scam.