Posted by Amy Sarcevic on 15 June 2026
The scam type that almost always goes under the radar
Conning the average victim out of $20,000, the world of digital fraud is becoming increasingly costly, prompting the ACCC to call for a �united front� in tackling the issue earlier this year.
Much of the response so far has focussed on big-ticket cases involving a high level of technical sophistication. While these measures are important, Rob Neely, Director of Sellsecurely.com says smaller, unsophisticated scams are going under the radar.
He claims a substantial portion of the $3billion worth of scam losses reported to the ACCC in 2022 involve small, �petty� fraud cases via virtual marketplaces. An even greater number of these may have failed to become known to the regulator, he warns.
�Our research tells us that scams involving the collection of deposits for online purchases that victims never receive are becoming extremely prevalent, Mr Neely said ahead of the Scams Summit.
�Essentially, a consumer is asked to cough up a small upfront sum to secure an item they want to purchase online, and it never shows up in the mail. Meanwhile, the perpetrator blocks all contact and becomes untraceable.�
According to Mr Neely�s research, these types of scams primarily affect men, who lose on average five times more than women, at $1277 per scam.
While they are inherently less harmful than major fraud cases, they represent an economy-wide issue that warrants more focus, he said.
�Of course, to individuals, they are not on the same par as being tricked out of your life savings. But they are still harming consumers, businesses and the broader economy,� he said.
Mr Neely says these scams are so easy to execute and get away with that they are attracting a different breed of perpetrator.
�People who weren�t criminals before now realise they can do 10 scams a day for $70 each and wind up on a $200k salary. It is such a low-risk, high-reward endeavour that even unlikely people get involved.
�It�s not financial whizzes or sophisticated gangs � it�s just regular people who know how to create a sense of urgency when executing a [perceived] �sale�.�
With some losses concerning this scam-type teetering between single and double figures, Mr Neely says they are less likely to be reported. Given their pettiness they may also be impossible to legislate against, he warned.
�I don�t see how police will get involved with a fraud involving $10. It�s implausible. This lack of consequence makes it all the more appealing for scammers to continue what they are doing on a broader scale.�
In place of police involvement, Mr Neely is advocating for fraud prevention budgets to be channelled into consumer Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.
�Consumer awareness is such an essential piece in the scam prevention response, so it is both a surprise and concern that we have not already seen TV advertisements .
�We have such a large scam prevention team in government and an equally large budget, I find it hard to believe that we aren�t doing all we can to bring greater awareness to this issue. I personally think a big campaign, like we have already seen for driving under the influence of alcohol, is warranted for an issue of this breadth and depth.�
Thankfully, companies such as Sellsecurely.com are helping people to trade more safely online by collecting and delaying the release of funds for online purchases.
�We have an Air BnB-style platform, whereby the consumer pays us at the beginning of the sales cycle, and the seller only receives that payment when the consumer receives the product.
�It is like PayPal, but without the exploitation loophole, whereby buyers claim they never received a product that they actually did and become scammers themselves,� he said.
Talking more about his approach to scam prevention, his company�s recently completed research and his recommendations for a broader, industry-wide scam prevention response, Rob Neely will present at the upcoming Scams Summit.
This year�s event will be held 15-16 August at the PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney.
Learn more and register.