67 victims reported losing almost $3 million to romance scams in WA in 2022 Don’t transfer money or give your bank account details to someone you haven’t met in person Assume people you speak with online are scammers This Valentine’s Day (14 February), don’t open your heart up to scammers targeting vulnerable victims looking for love online. Romance and dating scams are on the rise, with scammers...

The public holiday for Labour Day in 2023 is Monday 6 March. Employment entitlements for public holidays will vary based on an employee's award coverage and employment arrangements. Visit the Labour Day 2023 public holiday entitlements page for details on the public holiday entitlements for Labour Day for state system employers and employees, including specific information for: award free...

14 further complaints received after first public warning issued last year. Consumers now claim to be owed a total of $62,000 for incomplete or no work. Warning not to do business with the air conditioning installer and custom trailer builder. Despite a public warning being issued last year, a Perth air conditioning installer and builder of custom vehicle trailers continues to attract more...

Record scam losses of $16 million in 2022 impact record number of victims Almost half of all WA scam victims last year fell for online shopping or trading scams People chasing high investment returns or looking for love lost the most money Western Australians urged to protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated scams Scam losses and the number of reports and victims in Western Australia...

On 1 February 2023, changes to the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011 enhance the powers of the Building Service Board to manage the commercial conduct and behaviour of registered building service providers. These changes relate to the following events that occur on or after this date. What are the changes? 1. Unpaid building service debts Individuals, partnerships and companies who have...

Building defects at projects in East Perth, Hillarys and Secret Harbour Negligence, misleading conduct and failure to pay SAT orders Mr Salisbury is bankrupt and is no longer a registered builder A Rockingham former builder has been fined $15,000 after admitting to nine disciplinary allegations involving building projects in East Perth, Hillarys and Secret Harbour. Building and Energy initiated...

Kimberley flood victims being targeted by fake offers of financial relief from scammers Bogus charities popping up on social media to steal funds from intended recipients People urged to be on high alert and not respond impulsively to random messages People in flood-affected communities in the Kimberley are being warned by the McGowan Government to be on high alert as social media scams promising...

Motorists in Perth and Mandurah are advised to fill up now if they need to, with petrol prices set to rise tomorrow. After today motorists will likely have to wait a week before petrol prices are again at the bottom of the price cycle. FuelWatch reports that, from 6am tomorrow (Wednesday 25 January 2023), the average price of regular unleaded petrol (ULP) will increase by 25 cents per litre (cpl...

Scammers have set up fake Instagram account leedal_foundation_limited The real Leedal Foundation Limited is raising funds for flood victims in Fitzoy Crossing on their Facebook fundraiser page Consumers urged to only donate to licensed charities or official fundraisers and not to respond to private messages Consumer Protection is warning consumers about scammers who are posing as a legitimate...

Unlicensed motor vehicle dealer to pay $5,000 fine and $638 in costs 36 vehicles were sold between January and November 2021 Consumers urged to report unlicensed motor vehicle dealers A Beechboro man has been fined $5,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court for buying and selling motor vehicles without a valid motor vehicle dealer licence. Van Vinh Tran was also ordered to pay costs of $638 when...

Real estate agent and his company fined a total of $6,500 Multiple unauthorised withdrawals from trust account over four months The money of the agency’s clients put at risk by violations of the law A Magistrate has told a former real estate agent that his clients’ money was put at risk by multiple unauthorised withdrawals from his agency’s trust account. Mohammad Samir Merzaie was fined $2,500...

Jackeroo J3PR35L three-way portable refrigerators, made in 2010, cannot be sold in WA Risk of dangerous carbon monoxide levels when operated on gas in an enclosed area All portable gas appliances must be used outdoors in the open air Owners of portable fridges are urged to check if their appliance is part of a gas safety sales ban in Western Australia due to carbon monoxide hazards. Jackeroo...