We Tell Victims to Report Scams. But Who Is There When They Do? What was the romance scam fusion cell suggestion?
Every week in Australia, victims of romance scams reach out for help.
And too often, they hear a version of the same message:
“Unfortunately, there is little more we can do.”
In one recent case, a victim was told their money had been moved into cryptocurrency, likely overseas, and that the investigation could not progress further. Their report would be kept for intelligence purposes.
For victims, this moment is devastating. Not only because of the money they have lost.
But because it feels like the system has stepped back from them.
A National Strategy That Sees the Problem
The Australian Government is not unaware of the scale of this issue.
Romance scams caused more than $156 million in losses in 2024, and that figure is likely far higher due to underreporting.
The Romance Scam Fusion Cell brought together 21 organisations across law enforcement, banks, digital platforms and support services to tackle the problem.
The report shows real progress:
over 1,000 suspected scam transactions identified
hundreds of scam websites and profiles disrupted
improved intelligence sharing across sectors
This work matters.
It helps stop scams before money is lost.
But the report also reveals something deeper.
The Harm Is Fully Understood
The report makes it clear that romance scams are not just financial crimes.
Victims experience:
emotional trauma
isolation from family and friends
long-term psychological harm
grief comparable to losing a loved one
Scammers groom victims over months or years. They isolate them. They manipulate them. They dismantle their support networks. By the time the crime is exposed, many victims are left completely alone.
The system understands this. The fusion cell report documents it in detail.
And Yet, Support Remains the Missing Piece
Despite recognising the depth of harm, the system response after the crime is limited.
Victims are directed to:
online reporting platforms
referral pathways
fragmented support services
The report itself identifies major barriers:
victims feel shame and embarrassment, preventing help-seeking
support is fragmented and inconsistent
victims experience support fatigue, being redirected between services
And most critically:
The National Anti-Scam Centre is not funded to provide ongoing victim support services.
So the responsibility shifts. Not to a coordinated system. But to others.
The Reality on the Ground
Across Australia, victim support is already happening. But not where people might expect.
It is being delivered by:
victim advocates
small organisations
former police and specialists
community networks
Often seven days a week.
Often unfunded.
This work exists because victims need:
someone to listen
someone to explain what has happened
someone to help them disengage
someone to help them rebuild
Because when a victim reports a scam, what they receive is often not support. It is a process. A submission.
A reference number. And then silence.
A Digital Crime Met With a Digital Response
Romance scams occur in a highly sophisticated digital environment.
They involve:
encrypted messaging platforms
cryptocurrency transactions
international criminal networks
Yet when victims seek help, the response is often reduced to a digital reporting pathway. This disconnect matters. Because recovery is not a digital process. It is human.
The Solution Is Not Complicated
The Fusion Cell has already shown what works.
The peer-support trial demonstrated that victims who engaged in group support felt:
safer
less isolated
more empowered
more hopeful
But that program will not continue. Not because it failed. But because there is no funding to sustain it. This is the gap.
What Needs to Change
If Australia is serious about addressing scams, then victim support cannot remain an afterthought.
We need:
A funded, national, human-centred response that includes:
real people available at the point of reporting
trauma-informed support embedded into the system
coordinated pathways, not fragmented referrals
collaboration with external specialists who can assist
Because right now, victims are navigating one of the most complex and traumatic experiences of their lives with little structured support.
Final Thought
We have built systems to collect reports. We are improving systems to disrupt scams. But we have not yet built a system that truly supports victims after the crime. So when victims are told:
“There is little more we can do”
What they hear is something far more damaging. That they are now on their own. And that is the part of this problem we can fix. Now.