How to protect yourself from scammers

Cunning criminals have hatched a new scam that has already ripped millions of dollars out of the pockets of unsuspecting Australians.

A remote access scam will start with a call from a hacker pretending to be from a reputable organisation.

They will ask the victim to download software to help them catch scammers, but instead it unlocks the victim's personal and private information.

ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said people stood to lose whatever money they had in the bank.

"Sometimes they'll give you an excited call saying, 'Fantastic, we got them, but there's another out there (and) you need to send more money here'," she said.

"And they will keep you sending money for as long as they can keep up the pretence."

Some companies, such as banks, do contact customers over the phone, but before they discuss your account they verify your identity.

To establish that the caller is authentic, customers can ask for information about their last transaction or how many cards are linked to the account in question.

If you are still unsure, hang up and call the institution back.

9NEWS has compiled a full list of safety measures to help prevent people from being scammed - you can download it for printing here.