Scam: Australians lose $336 million to scammers so far this year

But most people (84 per cent) say they can spot a scam, and three in five (61 per cent) are confident they wouldn't fall for one either.

While the data, commissioned on behalf of a digital security and privacy company, might show people are confident about tackling the threat, the Federal Government's Scamwatch site shows just how many Australians are falling victim.

Last month $42.7 million was lost to scammers, taking the total to $336m so far this year, according to data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) Scamwatch.

This year's losses are already four per cent higher than the $323m lost during the entire 12 months of 2021.

Cyber security expert from Avast, Stephen Kho, said there is a disconnect between Australians' perceived confidence in ability to identify a scam, and the increasing amount of money being lost to scams every year.

"This is being further fuelled by our own fear of embarrassment, with half (50 per cent) of Australians admitting they would feel embarrassed if they fell for a scam, despite the prevalence and sophistication of some of these scams," he said.

The privately commissioned data reveals many people (45 per cent) admit they would be more likely to fall for a scam that addresses them by name. Also, almost half (44 per cent) of those surveyed are complacent with their online security.

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Of the losses so far this year, Scamwatch data shows $191m was lost after victims were contacted through their mobile phone.

A further $44.6m was lost through social networking and $44.1m via email.

The private research surveyed 1010 people across Australia and was conducted on behalf of Avast.