The Brotherhood of St Laurence, together with ANZ's flagship financial education program, Money Minded, has established a financial education workshop to protect people from scams.
The free two-hour workshop outlines how to identify and protect yourself from various types of scams, including investment, dating, phishing, remote access, and employment scams.
ANZ Head of Customer Protection, Shaq Johnson said: "Scams pose a significant threat to the financial wellbeing of Australians. Those who have fallen victim to scams before are at heightened risk of being targeted again, as cybercriminals store and exchange personal information. The MoneyMinded scams module aims to equip participants with the skills to identify scams and encourages them to seek support, ensuring their protection in the future."
"Victims often do not want to believe that they have been scammed or feel ashamed to admit it to loved ones. Our referral pathway and MoneyMinded scams workshop help us identify, educate, and support entrenched scams victims so that they are not vulnerable to further exploitation online," he said.
ANZ's flexible financial education program, MoneyMinded, is designed to help adults enhance their money management skills, knowledge and confidence. The MoneyMinded scams workshop is available and online to all Australians.
Brotherhood of St. Laurence Director of Youth, Children and Inclusion, Rebecca Pinney Meddings said: "Sadly, BSL and other charities and for-purpose organisations hear regularly from people who have been left devastated, both financially and emotionally, due to scams. In partnership with ANZ, we're pleased to offer education and support through these critical workshops, to empower people and build their financial capability. We all need to know how we can protect ourselves against scams and what our rights and responsibilities are, and our workshops explore the common types of scams and how to spot them."
Since the launch of the scams awareness workshop, more than 800 MoneyMinded coaches have been trained to use the new module. Eligible community professionals can enquire to become accredited MoneyMinded Coaches and use the program to educate their clients.
MoneyMinded Coach, Kerry, said: "The new scams resources have been extremely relevant…the content sparked meaningful conversations about scams they had already encountered, [and] they found the resources both relatable and practical."
