Celebrity scams soar 400 per cent in year

Australian customers have lost a staggering $142,000 to celebrity endorsement scams so far this year.

ACCC logo. Source: AAP

The number of Australians duped by celebrity endorsement scams has soared by 400 per cent in a year, with older women the most likely to get stung.

The consumer watchdog's ScamWatch website has received almost 200 reports of fake celebrity-backed products in 2018, with losses totalling $142,000.

"Most people lost between $100 and $500, and in one case a victim lost more than $50,000 through fake celebrity endorsement of an investment scheme," ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said on Monday.