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Open letter: Tell the Government to block scammers this Valentine’s Day

Right now, the government’s proposed scam protections don’t capture major pathways exploited by scammers, such as email services, dating apps, online marketplaces, superannuation funds and other key platforms. Add your name to the open letter calling for stronger, broader protections now. 

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Valentine's Day isn’t just for lovers – it’s peak season for scammers too! 


Tell the government to block scammers this Valentine's Day

To the government,

We represent 10 consumer advocacy groups, financial counselling organisations and community legal centres, alongside thousands of Australians, who are gravely concerned about the government’s lax scam prevention reforms that will leave too many doors open for scammers to exploit. 

For many, Valentine’s Day is a time for connection, but that’s true for scammers too. Since 2020, Australians have lost over $220 million to dating and romance scams alone. Behind these numbers are thousands of people who have been manipulated and left emotionally and financially harmed. We’re tired of swiping right on scammers – it’s time to force the businesses profiting from scammers to block them once and for all.

The government’s new Scams Prevention Framework is a positive step towards protecting Australians, but the current proposals will only place obligations on banks, telcos and a handful of digital communication platforms. We know that scammers are rife across dating apps, email services, online marketplaces, other digital platforms and superannuation funds, leaving Australians vulnerable to scams that exploit these gaps.

Romance and dating scams continue to be among the most common and harmful scams. As protections tighten in some areas, scammers are quick to shift to the unregulated platforms and payment pathways. The government’s proposal to operationalise the Scams Prevention Framework will create a clear blueprint for scammers to follow and exploit the weakest links.

There’s still time to listen and make this right, but every delay represents more victims and more money stolen by organised crime – while huge businesses continue to cash in. 

Add your name to this open letter to demand stronger protections against scams. 

Signed by:

The current inclusions and exclusions of the government’s proposed scams prevention measures:

This infographic shows how scam protections will work once the Scams Prevention Framework comes into force. Some platforms will be required to act, while many platforms scammers rely on, including dating apps, email services and online marketplaces, will still be left out. These platforms are already scam hotspots, and as obligations kick in elsewhere, even more scam activity will be pushed onto them. The result is that exploitation doesn't stop – it simply shifts to unprotected platforms, allowing harm to continue unless gaps are closed.

FAQ

The Scam Prevention Framework (SPF) is a new government reform intended to prevent scams by setting clear, enforceable responsibilities for businesses in certain sectors, rather than leaving individuals to avoid harm on their own.

As currently proposed, the Framework will only initially apply to banks and telecommunications providers, and has only limited coverage of digital platforms despite many scams starting and spreading online.

Scammers don’t operate in just one place. Dating apps, email service providers, online marketplaces and other digital platforms are commonly used to initiate, facilitate and scale scams. 

When only a handful of sectors are covered, scammers simply shift to platforms with fewer obligations. Expanding the framework to more platforms would help close these gaps and reduce the opportunities scammers rely on to reach and manipulate people.

CHOICE and 9 other organisations are calling to expand consumer protections to capture more businesses commonly exploited by scammers. A more comprehensive framework is essential to stop scams from shifting elsewhere and continuing to cause harm to Australians.

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