Key Points:

·       IDCARE,thanks to sponsorship from ANZ, Westpac and Meta, will be partnering with Neighbourhood Watch to deliver a series of Cyber Resilience Outreach Clinics across the Northern Territory.

·       IDCARE is also proud to participate in Alice Springs’ first ever “Safety Expo”,presenting alongside police, the fire service, the Flying Doctor and others on all aspects of safety.

·       People living in regional and remote communities are facing financial losses of$200,000 a day to investment scams.

·       They are 70% more likely to give a criminal remote access to their devices.

·       Residents living outside of city areas feel isolated and lack support when responding to cybercrime.

·       IDCARE’s Scream at a Scammer booth will give Territorians an opportunity to shout their feelings at a scammer!

IDCARE launched its Cyber Resilience Outreach Clinics (CROC) initiative in 2021 as financial losses to scams in regional and remote communities were having adevasting impact.

Thanks to sponsorship from Westpac, IDCARE was able to run 201 Clinics across Australia, reaching over 16,000 people.

Sadly,the financial toll from scams shows little sign of declining.

IDCARE’s special insights subscriber report in August found people living in regiona land remote areas were losing $200,000 a day to investment scams. They were also70% more likely to give a scammer remote access to their device.

Equally concerning was the frustration expressed by people living outside of cities tobe able to respond when something had gone wrong online.

During IDCARE’s initial CROC tour, we identified Champions within communities to help us spread awareness.

This September and October, we will be partnering with one of these Champions,Neighbourhood Watch, to deliver a range of Clinics across the Northern Territory over 13 days – from 25 September to 8 October.

IDCARE’s National Manager of Outreach & Engagement, Kathy Sundstrom, said the value of in-person cyber education clinics could not be overestimated and neither could the opportunity to Scream at a Scammer!

“We know that Territorians are harmed by scammers and are screaming to be able to scream at a scammer. Here’s their chance!

“Our Scream booth gives a unique opportunity to vent in a tent and know your message will be heard.

IDCARE’s CROC sponsors will also be sending volunteers to help at the Clinics.

“We will have representatives from ANZ and Westpac in attendance at many of the Clinics to answer questions people may have about keeping their financial accounts secure,” Ms Sundstrom said.

“At the Clinics, we will also share with Territorians the scams we know are happening in their community. We will share with them how we know scammers engage. And we will share with them tips we know make a difference to stay safe online and who they can turn to when something goes wrong.”

“We are incredibly proud to partner with Neighbourhood Watch to deliver the sesessions. Neighbourhood Watch has been helping residents understand how to stay safe in their homes since 1988.

Neighbourhood Watch NT CEO Veronica Larson said the not for profit was aware that scams cyber-attacks were an “everyday occurrence”.

“Taking steps to secure your personal information and documentation is critical. Let’s get the information out there on best practices and get Territorians talking about current scams and how to stay clear of the traps,” she said.

ANZ Head of Customer Protection, Shaq Johnson said that scams were a “widespread issue and a scourge on the community.”

“At ANZ, we continue to invest in prevention and protection measures to help keep our customers safe from cybercrime and education is a key component,” he said.

“We’re pleased to partner with IDCARE to deliver CROC clinics to communities around the country. It’s important to be getting this message out to the entire community, especially those in remote areas – the more conversations we can have with people about how to identify a scam and what steps can be taken to protect themselves puts us all in a stronger position to detect cybercrime and stay safe online.”

Westpac Chief Information Security Officer, Richard Johnson, said scammers were “continuing to target unsuspecting Australians”.

“So it’s important we’re continuing to make it harder for them to operate and helping more Australians understand how to spot a scam and stay safe online – including through these Cyber Resilience Outreach Clinics,”he said.

Meta was also providing its support for the Clinics.

Mia Garlick, Meta’s Regional Director of Policy, Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Pacific Islands said that the social media giant saw the “immense value in supporting the Cyber Resilience Outreach clinics in the Northern Territory”.

“This important initiative will help those in regional communities get access to vital information, and learn how to protect themselves from online threats like scams,” she said.

“We believe that cross-industry collaboration is the most impactful way to tackle scams, and we look forward to continuing this vital work with IDCARE”, our industry partners, law enforcement and the government."

Find out where you can join in one of the free community workshops in the NT by visiting IDCARE’s website www.idcare.org and clicking the CROC tab.

Media Contact:

Kathy Sundstrom

0424486115

kathy@idcare.org

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