Scam Victim Alliance
join people with lived experience surviving fraud, scams & deception
About THE SVA
We are a fellowship of scam, fraud and cyber-enabled crime survivors who share experiences and work towards:
trauma-informed support and harm reduction for all scam victims
better emotional and financial recovery processes
justice to prevent deception, impersonation and fraud
We believe the globalised scamming industry is a scourge that must be stopped to protect national prosperity and security.
book scam awareness training
Empower Your Team, Support a Vital Cause
Every year, scams steal billions from Australians — more than twice as much per head as what’s lost in Britain.
At Scam Victim Alliance, we turn lived experience into powerful education and training, including.
One-hour virtual workshops
In-person sessions for staff or community groups
Customised training for financial services, aged care and others
Tailored for Continued Professional Development (CPD).
Topics we can cover include:
The psychology of scams — why smart people get tricked (and why it’s harder than ever to spot them in the age of AI and deep fakes)
Common fraud, scams and misdirected payment tricks
Red flags in real messages, emails, phone calls, social media posts and ads
What to do if you or someone you know gets scammed
How to build a safer digital economy for all of us
Every booking supports our survivor-led mission to build a more scam resilient Australia. Email onboarding@scamvictimalliance.org.au to find out more
FINANCIAL ADVICE ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA - TESTIMONIAL
“The Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) extends its sincere appreciation to Alex Brooks and Sylvia Chou of the Scam Victim Alliance for their exemplary contribution as presenters at our recent webinar, Financial Frontline: How financial advisors can protect clients from the surge in digital scams. Their presentation demonstrated a profound understanding of the evolving landscape of financial fraud and cyber-enabled scams affecting Australians.
Through their comprehensive insights, practical guidance, and trauma-informed approaches, Alex Brooks and Sylvia Chou equipped financial advisers with the necessary tools to educate clients, identify early warning signs, and implement robust risk mitigation strategies.
The FAAA commends their dedication to advancing professional standards and protecting the financial wellbeing of the Australian community. We are grateful for their leadership and advocacy, which have made a significant impact on our members and the broader industry.” - Niki Tranfield, head of CPD
Why Choose Scam victim alliance?
-
Up-to-date insights from frontline scam prevention
Our sessions are trauma-informed, real-world, and empowering. We don’t just share statistics — we share insight from those who’ve been there.
-
Proceeds fund advocacy, support and reform work
All proceeds go to Scam Victim Alliance programs, including victim support. We work to stop scams before they happen — and support those already affected.
-
Survivor-led expertise trusted nationwide
By booking a session, you’re not just protecting your community or workforce — you’re investing in a safer, more just Australia. We have delivered training for respected organisations like Financial Advice Association Australia.
ABOUT SCAM VICTIM ALLIANCE
Harriet Spring campaigns for better banking, recovery and support for all Australian scam victims
thieves pretending to be A BANK stole $1.6 million from PRESIDENT harriet SPRING
Offenders impersonating ING stole $1.6m in a single transfer from the sale of Harriet’s elderly mother’s home Teachers Mutual Bank in 2024. She believes she was targeted after her mother’s house was sold.
TRIGGER WARNING: talk of suicide.
Sylvia Chou is a registered tax agent and CPA who was accused by her banks of being a scammer while trying to uncover how she’d been deceived by a sophisticated investment scam.
investment fraudsters stole more than $2.6 million from TREASURER sylvia CHOU
It began with a Facebook ad and descended into a complex fraud that two Australian banks are still pursuing Sylvia in court over. ASIC banned the investment company from operating in Australia six months after Sylvia’s first transfer - but it was too late to protect her. The Australian company who took her payments has shut down and re-opened a new entity that is currently registered with AUSTRAC and has payment apps.
Cathy Brennan works every day talking to romance scam survivors to support them to heal and understand the scale of the global crime devastating thousands around the world.
military romance fraudsters targeted RESILIENCE ADVISOR cathY BRENNAN-COFFEY ON TIK TOK
Cathy recovered all her money after her local politician and bank rallied to help her. She now supports romance fraud victims all over the southern hemisphere through her work running Scam Haters United AUS/NZ.
SECRETARY David spent 5 years investigating his father’s $1 million fraud - and got money back
David Sweeney’s father lost money to a binary options investment fraud - with David’s dogged research and determination, he found ASIC had told the banks not to pay money to the binary options company. He then recovered money for his father.
David Sweeney is working on new digital resources to help scam victims and other people affected by binary options fraud.
Ambassadors help us get our message out
Meet barrister & solicitor David Niven ll.b.
David has been representing consumers and their interests for over 40 years. Early in his career, David held senior legal positions with the Victorian Ministry of Consumer Affairs where he was involved in legislative reform, including development and implementation of the Credit Act 1984, Chattel Securities Act 1997, Motor Car Traders Act 1986 and EFT Code of Conduct.
He also ran multi-million dollar civil penalty cases against major banks and financiers.
He then took up the position of Director of Consumer Credit Legal Service (Victoria) where he ran test case litigation and established Credit Helpline.
As Senior Consultant at Maurice Blackburn Cashman he successfully ran a series of consumer and shareholder class actions including the Aristocrat and Multiplex class actions – at the time the two largest damages awards in class actions in Australia.
This was followed by his appointment as Legal counsel at the Financial Ombudsman Service (now AFCA) and as senior solicitor at Consumer Action Law Centre.
He is now semi-retired and operates a small consumer focused law practice where he recently successfully acted for HSBC scam victims
David has also held a variety of appointments on Boards and Committees including Chair of the AFCRAA, the financial counselling peak organisation, and Chair of the National Investment Centre for Retirement Investments.
He is also the author of various publications including the Credit Handbook.
