The government has revealed that someone in Australia reports being a cybercrime victim every six minutes with an estimated $2.18 billion lost to financial scams in 2025.

These are numbers we must focus on this Scams Awareness Week.

But there’s a trend making it more difficult for you to spot the scam in the first place.

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The ‘urgency’ trap

I spoke to Daniel Battaglia, founder of Parksy, a parking marketplace with 133,000 members across 57 countries, who said he is not surprised by these statistics as it’s something he very aware of.

“Keeping our users safe is something I take personally, but it’s alarming to see how aggressively scammers target growing digital platforms,” he said.

“They know young Australians and side-hustlers are keen to do business, so they try to trick them into taking transactions off-platform using direct bank transfers or forged receipts.”

“In an ever-online world of fast paced transactions, we’ve seen a real relax in caution from users who’re targeted by scammers exploiting those looking for extra income by leaning into ‘urgency’ of communications and payments.”

When most people picture someone who may be susceptible to a scam, they tend to imagine older Australians who might be less confident with technology.

But at ING, our research shows the opposite may be true.

Digital-native, but digitally exposed?

ING Sense of Us data found that young Aussies are diversifying their digital money management to supplement their incomes and maximise savings.

Half of Gen Z and Millennials plan to invest in shares or ETFs this year.

At the same time, over a quarter treat side hustles as a core income stream, nearly four times the rate of Baby Boomers.

Add in online shopping and a growing trust in AI and social media for money advice, and younger Australians suddenly have dozens of digital doors open at any given moment.

Government-commissioned research reveals young Australians are confident but exposed online.

More than half of 18 to 24-year-olds reuse the same password across multiple accounts, 59 per cent say they’re comfortable using a weak password, and only 68 per cent think carefully before clicking a suspicious link. This is compared to 90 per cent of Australians aged 65+ who verify links before clicking.

In fact, the digital-native population likely believes themselves to be more ‘scam savvy’ than their older counterparts.

“Familiarity with technology shouldn’t be confused with safety,” Daniel shared.

“We build strong security into Parksy to protect every transaction, but we always remind our customers: If someone asks you to move off the platform to pay, that’s your cue to walk away.”

No one’s just a number

This year’s Scams Awareness Week theme, “No one’s just a number,” is a timely reminder that being targeted by a scammer is never a reflection of a person’s intelligence.

In a world where we spend so much of our lives connected, scam risk is increasingly about digital exposure, not carelessness.

Scams can happen to anyone, including seasoned investors or regular online shoppers.

The good news is that staying safe doesn’t mean stepping back from digital life.

It’s simply about building a few smart habits into your daily routine. Here are my top eight practical rules to protect your money online:

1. Don’t confuse familiarity with safety. Just because you’re using an app you know doesn’t mean the person contacting you through it is genuine.
2. Build a “pause” into financial decisions. If someone creates urgency around money, make taking a pause non-negotiable.
3. Verify independently. Don’t use the phone number, link or payment details supplied by the person who contacted you. Find the legitimate details yourself.
4. Never send money to “protect” your money. A bank, government agency or legitimate organisation will never ask you to transfer funds somewhere else simply to keep them safe.
5. Be especially careful with opportunities. Jobs, investments, side hustles and “easy money” are particularly powerful hooks because they may feel like opportunities rather than scams.
6. Make security a priority. Unique passwords, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), software updates and transaction alerts aren’t exciting, but they’re far more useful than believing you’ll recognise every scam.
7. Talk about near misses. Don’t be embarrassed if you nearly fell for something. Sharing the tactic makes it easier for friends to recognise it next time.
8. Keep an eye on the latest scams. Visit Scamwatch.gov.au for official government updates, and check ING’s security page to track the latest digital scams our security teams are monitoring.