Cybertrace has launched ScamSleuth, an easy-to-use free scam detector. ScamSleuth provides the public with a mechanism to check if a website presents a scam risk. Online shoppers and investors simply enter a web address into the scam detector web portal. Within seconds, a traffic light system informs them of the risk level associated with the site.
Dan Halpin, Managing Director of Cybertrace, says: “Without expert know-how or sophisticated tools, it can be hard to know what is real and what is fake. ScamSleuth is an easy-to-use, innovative tool to help protect people from fraud. The algorithm was created by our team who are experts in website forensics and scam investigations. We access hundreds of sources to identify any potential risk of fraud, malware, phishing, or other malicious content.” With cybercrime significantly on the rise, the need for accessible tools to help prevent it is more in demand than ever. In its 2020-21 Annual Cyber Threat Report, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) states that “no sector of the Australian economy was immune from the impacts of cybercrime and other malicious cyber activity. Government agencies at all levels, large organisations, critical infrastructure providers, small to medium enterprises, families and individuals were all targeted over the reporting period”.
In 2020-21 there were almost 67,500 cybercrime reports to the government’s official ReportCyber website, an increase of nearly 13 per cent from the previous financial year. The increase equals about one report every 8 minutes. Dan Halpin says: “Unfortunately, police are often overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases of cyber fraud and other government authorities are not as proactive as they should be in terms of promoting consumer literacy. At Cybertrace we have the experts and the tools to help consumers identify and preventing becoming a victim of an online scam.”
