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Haines brings minister to Benalla to discuss scam protection with community

By Contributed

Jun 10, 2024

Australians are losing billions of dollars to online scams every year. Federal Member for Indi Helen Haines will host an event in Benalla to help the community avoid becoming a victim. Photo by Getty Images

Federal Member for Indi Helen Haines will host an event in Benalla this month to help locals understand how they can protect themselves from scams and where to seek help if they have been targeted.

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Dr Haines has invited Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones to share scam awareness information at a morning tea at the Lakeside Community Centre on June 20 from 10am to 11.30am.

“Scams are becoming more frequent, more sophisticated, and they can take many forms,” Dr Haines said.

“Often it is the most vulnerable in our community that are targeted by scammers, but no-one is immune from being tricked and defrauded of money.

“I’ve heard many reports of people being scammed out of significant amounts of money — mothers, grandparents, volunteers, people with disability — everyday people misled by bad faith actors.”

The event is supported by Australia Post, Telstra, Bendigo Bank and the Consumer Action Law Centre, all of which will have representatives at the event and useful resources for attendees to take home.

“Australians lost more than $3 billion to scams in 2022. I am pleased to bring Minister Jones to Indi to address the growing community concern around fraud and deceptive conduct,” Dr Haines said.

“These events aim to educate and empower community members to recognise a scam and take preventative measures to protect themselves, their family, small business or volunteer organisation.

“Come along and bring a friend with you who can help spread awareness of how scams are impacting our community.”

Event registration is encouraged but not essential, visit helenhaines.org/events to register.