The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) says its annual report saw an increase of 13 per cent in the number of online crimes reported. The ASCS said in its annual report that fraud, online shopping and online banking scams were the most popular schemes.

Australians lost a whopping $323 million to scams in 2021, which is an increase of 84 per cent from the previous year.

Out of that total, around a quarter of all losses ($81 million) were sustained by Australians over 65, according to Scamwatch.

Almost a quarter of those losses ($81 million) were felt by people aged 65 and older, according tothe Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch.

"More than 75 per cent of pandemic-related cybercrime reports involved Australians losing money or personal information," the ACSC said.

"Nearly 500 ransomware cybercrime reports, an increase of nearly 15 per cent from the previous financial year."

It seems fake ads on Facebook Marketplace are a particular problem for older Australians. Ads are set up by scammers purporting to sell goods, but once payment is received the ads disappear and the seller can't be contacted.

Data shows 1232 reports of scams mentioning Facebook Marketplace were made to Scamwatch up until the end of November this year, with losses of $781,774.

That number is expected to be higher as not all individuals would report their experience to the website.