Scams costly for Australians: ACCC October 30, 2013 - 4:54PM Australians looking for love are among the top targets of scammers, who are conning more than $93 million a year out of victims. In its latest annual report, The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) reveals it received almost 84,000 complaints about scams during 2012. Consumers and businesses complained of suffering considerable financial and non-financial losses. An overview of types of scams reported to the ACCC shows "dating and romance (including adult services) " came in second place, with 1119 punters losing more than $23.3 million. The most costly scam, reported by some 27,000 people, were operations demanding advanced or up-front fees, which netted more than $30.2 million. "The ACCC continues its educational activities ... in an effort to raise awareness about the latest scams and limit the number of consumers and small businesses who fall victim to scams," the report said. Identity theft and "phishing" for financial details remain a major issue in Australia, with 494 complainants reporting losses greater than $1.5 million. The ACCC fielded 9337 complaints about lottery and sweepstakes scams, resulting in total losses of $2.6 million, while psychic and clairvoyant schemes proved costly for 41 people who lost more than $440,000. Of the 83,803 scam complaints fielded by the ACCC, 10,572 people reported a financial loss, with more than 1200 losing more than $10,000.