Only two cyber-scammers were successfully prosecuted last year, despite the consumer watchdog receiving about 12,000 complaints. Tasked with investigating a range of cybercrimes, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission estimates one in 20 Australians are affected by scams each year, leading to losses of about $1 billion.

But enforcement operations general manager Scott Gregson said most cybercrime cases could not be pursued because they were outside Australia's jurisdiction. Both cases that were successfully prosecuted had some origin in Australia.

''For one of them there was clear activity within Australia,'' Gregson said. 'The other one had a combination of activity in Australia, China and elsewhere.'' But Gregson said both of the successful court actions relied on tip-offs from overseas ''one from the Fair Trade Commission in the US and the other from Washington State attorney-generals''.

Gregson said Australians continued to fall victim to internet-based scams, including advance fee frauds or money transfer scams, which lure people into making upfront payments with the promise of a bigger return down the track.

''We also look at a number of phishing scams, where approaches through the internet seek personal information for subsequent use in drawing money down from accounts,'' he said.

''It is often passing off as either the consumer's bank or a business that they have an ongoing dealing with. We see quite a few of those.'' Lottery and sweepstakes scams, false ticketing product scams, an increasing number of dating scams and scams directed specifically at business are among the other types of online scams dealt with by the ACCC.

''We try to look at ways to interfere with the delivery of money from scams, the platforms they use, whether they be online or otherwise, and other delivery methods of communications, whether it be mail or other traditional means of communication,'' Gregson said.

''One of the key issues we really want to make consumers aware of is just to be sceptical about approaches you get proactively in the marketplace, but particularly the online marketplace.''