BiG Directory

Government Consumer Watchdogs of Money, Business, and Investing Businesses and Advisers. How are they, health, science and other ‘experts’ rated? |”How to Find a Good [adviser…]”, How to Avoid ‘ Scams’ and Complaint Sites

Updated August 2023

BiG Tips: Where do you get help or complain about being scammed, faulty products or bad service?
Apart from the non government and industry bodies who can help you avoid being ripped off in Guru Cops, here are some, mainly government, consumer watchdogs in the health, money, finance and energy and gas industries.
What to do if you’ve been scammed?

Money and Finance

Beware of these latest scams – Fake green bonds; Crypto scams

National Anti-Scam Centre, ACCC, “launched on 1 July 2023 and will build its information sharing capabilities over the next 3 years. We bring together experts from government and the private sector to tackle harmful scams.
Together, we’re making it harder for scammers to take money and information from Australians.

Scams are getting harder to spot. Australians reported a record $3.1 billion lost to scams last year. That’s 80% more than the year before.

Behind the growing numbers are everyday Australians who lost money to scams – sometimes their life savings. And the true cost of scams is more than a dollar figure. Scams can have a devastating impact on victims’ lives.

As scammers become increasingly sophisticated in their tactics, we need to better coordinate our efforts to stop them.

The National Anti-Scam Centre has been set up to coordinate government, law enforcement and the private sector to combat scams. It builds on the work of the ACCC’s Scamwatch service.

Together we will make Australia a harder target for scammers.”

MoneySmart’s (ASIC) list of companies not licensed to give financial advice, or their Online stockbroking scams list. This website “is for all Australians – young or old, rich or poor, investing or paying off debt. We offer free, independent guidance so you can make the best choices for your money. We are not selling you anything. And when life puts your finances under stress, MoneySmart is here to help you ride the storm. We have smart tips on dealing with the ups and downs of life: losing your job, having a baby, divorce or separation, buying a home, losing your partner and many more.” Here’s their warning list of common tricks:

COVID-19 phishing scams
Directing you to a fake website
Stopping you pulling out of the deal
Threatening legal action
Using social media to approach you or your friends
Artificially inflating the share price
Passing your call along the line
Calling or emailing you persistently
Operating from overseas

ASIC suggests you ask questions and request information such as:

What is your name and what company do you represent?
Who owns your company?
Does your company have an AFS licence and what is the licence number?
What is your address?
Is your investing prospectus registered with ASIC?
Check the legitimacy of the person offering the investment

The little black book of scams (Listen Here) from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)

The top scams to avoid
Dating and romance scams
Investment scams
Threat and penalty scams
Unexpected money scams
Prize and lottery scams
Online shopping, classifieds and auction scams
Scams targeting computers and mobile devices
Identity theft
Job and employment scams
Charity and medical scams
Business scams
How scams work—the anatomy of a scam
The golden rules to protect yourself
Where to find help or support
Where to report a scam

Scamwatch (by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)) has useful information, warnings, tips and tricks on:

Banking and online account scams
Chain letters and pyramid scams
Health and medical scams
Identity theft scams
Investments scams
Job and employment scams
Lottery and competition scams (fake prizes)
Mobile phone scams
Money transfer requests (‘Nigerian scams’)
Online scams
Personalised scams
Small business scams

AFCA The Australian Financial Complaints Authority “considers complaints that previously would have been handled by the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Credit and Investments Ombudsman and the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal. We are the dispute resolution scheme for financial services. We consider complaints about:

credit, finance and loans
insurance
banking deposits and payments
investments and financial advice
superannuation.”

Choice They say: ‘[is] independent and transparent … [its] one clear mission: to ensure the consumer voice is heard loudly and clearly… [it] empowers consumers to get the most out of all their purchasing decisions by providing a mix of advocacy and advice… the people’s watchdog … constantly looking out for misleading or unhelpful practices that stop you from getting the best deal. The leading consumer advocacy group in Australia … [it]campaigns to protect and assist consumers through changes to laws and industry behaviour… completely self-funded [it] prides itself on delivering expert, unbiased information you can trust.”

Victoria’s Consumer Action Law Centre is a great resource

Franchises (mediation services) from the accc.gov.au

Horticulture (mediation services) from the accc.gov.au

Privacy

Telecommunications from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network