The growing cost of scams
Scams affect far too many people. Australians reported a staggering $2.18 billion in scam losses in 2025 alone. And across Bradfield, the figure is in the millions of dollars every single week. Nearly half of cybercrime reported targets small businesses, costing on average $46,000 per incident.
Strengthening the proposed reforms
This month I spoke in the Chamber about my submission on the government’s proposed reforms to the Scam Protection Framework.
These reforms would detail what responsibilities businesses had to keep their customers safe from scams. Here’s a quick overview:
Prevent: Businesses must take reasonable steps to stop scams from reaching consumers in the first place.
Detect: Businesses must take reasonable steps to detect scams as they are happening or after they have happened.
Disrupt: Businesses must take reasonable steps to disrupt an activity suspected of being a scam and prevent losses to consumers.
I have been urging the government to strengthen these rules. I also called for the government to ensure that people are appropriately compensated. Given the average scam loss is around $75,000, the proposed $3,000 automatic reimbursement cap should be raised accordingly. Each sector has unique vulnerabilities that scammers seek to expose, so whether you are a business owner or a customer, it’s important to not only be vigilant of scams, but aware of your responsibilities when they happen.
Building your business's cyber resilience
While stronger legislation is important, businesses also have a role to play in reducing risk. One practical step is investing in cyber awareness and staff training, which is why I recommend checking out Cyber Wardens.
The Cyber Wardens program is a free, online tool that helps small businesses build stronger cyber security. It only takes two minutes to enroll, and it could save your business from a costly attack.
The program covers the practical skills small businesses need to improve cyber resilience, things like how to protect important business information, recognise common scams and cyber threats, take simple steps to strengthen your security, and encourage safe online practices across your team.
You can contact me at
[email protected] or call the office on (02) 9465 3950.
Best,
Nicolette Boele MP
Member for Bradfield