Gullible West Australians have reported being conned out of more than $2 million in just one week, including an elderly man who lost $1 million in a romance scam.
Despite repeated warnings, WA's Consumer Protection department said between August 5 and 9, 24 people reported losing money in various scams.
That included a man in his late 70s from WA's Great Southern region who admitted he handed over $1 million during a complex romance fraud, which started more than three years ago and has left him destitute.
The fraud was only discovered after the man sent a large sum of cash to Ghana.
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Two others victims said they had lost $180,000 and $91,000 each in separate romance frauds.
Another victim has reported losing half a million dollars in an investment scam.
And yet another reported losing $18,000 in a 'help me' scam, after being duped into believing a Croatian relative needed the money to come to Australia for urgent health reasons.
Anne Driscoll, WA's Commissioner for Consumer Protection, said the financial losses suffered by scam victims were enormous.
"People who have fallen victim to the clever tactics of professional and well-organised criminals not only suffer huge financial losses, but their confidence, trust and self-esteem are seriously eroded as well," Ms Driscoll said.
"It's heart-breaking to hear the stories of victims who, in many cases, have lost their life savings and also suffer the emotional and psychological effects of their traumatic experience."
Late last year, 67-year-old WA woman Jette Jacobs was found dead in a rented villa after travelling to South Africa to visit a Nigerian love interest authorities believe was scamming her.
And earlier this week, a Nigerian man was arrested in his home country after attempting to sell a Perth property that was not his, using forged documents.
AAP