Consumer Protection

UPDATE: The new regulations are now in place, having been approved by Executive Council and published in the Government Gazette on 12 August 2022.

• Financial reporting thresholds increased to lessen the cost of compliance
• Regulation changes to provide consistency between WA and national rules
• Changes in response to feedback from sector consultations

New regulations will be put in place by the State Government that aim to reduce the red tape burden for WA’s incorporated associations with financial reporting thresholds to be increased.

A sudden ceiling collapse can turn a comfortable home into a disaster zone in an instant, with the potential for serious injury and significant damage to property and possessions.

Consumer Protection recently became aware of two tenants who had been given seven days to vacate their rental property following the collapse of their living room ceiling.

• Scams may follow the leak of personal information and proof of identity documents
• Affected consumers urged to be on high alert for approaches by scammers
• Devices should be secured and accounts monitored closely for unusual activity

Current and former Optus customers affected by the data breach are being urged by Consumer Protection to be vigilant over the coming weeks for scams and misuse of their identity.

There’s a lot to weigh-up when buying a car, such as the make/model and how much you want to spend, but one important thing to investigate is who you’re actually doing business with.

We’re warning consumers to be wary of backyard operators who buy and sell multiple vehicles as a profit-making business, as they may rob unsuspecting consumers of their rights to a warranty and other remedies should something go wrong with the vehicles after purchase. 

• Increase in reports of younger people being blackmailed over intimate images
• Victims targeted via social media sites, particularly Snapchat and Instagram
• Advice is don’t send any money as more demands may follow

Consumer Protection and WA Police are raising the alarm after an increase in reports of teenagers and young adults being targeted in ‘sextortion’ scams.

• Unlicensed dealer ordered to pay more than $9,000 in fines and costs
• 13 vehicles sold illegally over a 16 month period
• Public plea for community to help stop backyard vehicle trading

A man who bought and sold vehicles from his Marangaroo home without a licence has been ordered to pay a total of $9,262.50 in fines and costs by the Joondalup Magistrate Court.

Hussain Al Hussein was fined $3,800 and ordered to pay costs of $5,462.50 on 30 May 2022 after being prosecuted by Consumer Protection.

• 174 vehicles bought and 147 sold without a licence in about 12 months
• Backyard operators robbing consumers of their rights
• Public urged to report illegal operators to stamp out the practice

A sole director and his company have been fined a total of $40,000 for illegally buying and selling a high number of motor vehicles from his Stirling home without having a dealer’s licence.

The floodwaters may have subsided in Eastern Australia, but consumers in Western Australia are being warned to brace for the tsunami of flood-damaged cars headed our way.  

With as many as 20,000 vehicles damaged in the Queensland and northern New South Wales’ flood events earlier this year, there are fears many of these compromised vehicles will be transported across to WA and sold to unsuspecting buyers.

Water can affect a vehicle’s electrical systems and later cause corrosion, plus there could be problems getting it registered or even insured in WA.

• Fake websites selling shipping containers ripping off WA consumers
• Almost $55,000 lost by scam victims in the past four months
• Others caught by a bogus container leasing investment scheme

WA consumers in the market for shipping containers are being scammed by fake websites with losses for 2022 already exceeding the total for the entire year of 2021.

• Action threatened against those who don’t comply with fitness industry rules
• Most issues relate to membership cancellations and refunds
• 37 complaints and 111 enquiries received so far this year

Consumer Protection will be cracking down on some fitness industry operators that are failing to comply with the new Code of Practice that came into effect on 1 July last year.