COVID-19 spike in scams and unauthorised transactions We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss Normal text size Advertisement The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) has recorded a 23 per cent jump in complaints related to unauthorised transactions and financial scams in the second half of 2020, as scammers and fraudsters became more active during the coronavirus pandemic. It is not just the volume of the more than 3000 complaints but also the sums involved. Some amounts topped $1 million. Justin Untersteiner, chief operating officer at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, says there has been a spike in complaints concerning unauthorised transactions and scams during COVID-19