# Argentina-Australia fraud scams

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/argentina-australia-fraud-scams
> Updated: 2026-08-03T00:00:00.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2.

In July 2026, reports highlighted how seniors in both Argentina and Australia fell prey to online romance and pension‑theft scams, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars and prompting police investigations. By early August, the focus shifted to larger‑scale fraud affecting Argentine families and businesses: a buyer in Catamarca allegedly stole textile production worth over 15 million pesos, and a POS‑terminal hack in Mendoza diverted nearly 40 million pesos. Both incidents underscore a widening pattern of financial fraud across personal and commercial sectors in the two countries, with arrests made in the Argentine cases.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-03: Argentina fraud scams cost families and businesses over 55 million pesos

Fraud in Catamarca left families without 15 M pesos, while a POS hack in Mendoza diverted 40 M pesos, highlighting major scams in Argentina.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/argentina-fraud-scams-cost-families-and-businesses-over-55-million-pesos

### 2026-07-11: Elderly victims lose hundreds of thousands in fraud scams in Argentina and Australia

An 80‑year‑old in Perth lost $300,000 to a romance scam and a 91‑year‑old in Argentina lost 426,400 pesos to pension fraud; police arrested the suspects in the latter case.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/elderly-victims-lose-hundreds-of-thousands-in-fraud-scams-in-argentina-and-australia

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Cite as: Argentina-Australia fraud scams. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/argentina-australia-fraud-scams