A tricky new scam is doing the rounds, with scammers posing as popular 2GB radio host Ray Hadley in an attempt to elicit cash and credit details from unsuspecting victims.

The scammer, who assumed the identity of Hadley through fake social media accounts, messages fans falsely informing them they have won a cash prize of $1000 before asking for their credit card details.

“This is real, you are the lucky person to win $1000, please claim your prize so we can process it immediately, congratulations,” the fake profile tells potential victims.

A woman who almost fell victim to the scam told fellow 2GB host Ben Fordham about the scheme involving Hadley’s identity.

“I looked into it and it really looked legit, it was on Ray’s Facebook page and people had commented and everything,” she said.

Hadley took to the airwaves to inform listeners that he doesn’t have a personal Facebook page but that the radio station has one for his show while thanking the woman for bringing attention to the scam.

“Look for The Ray Hadley Morning Show with the blue tick,” he told listeners.

“I’m glad you’ve rung in but you haven’t won $1,000 unfortunately, but I’m indebted to you for pointing this out so I can tell other people to avoid it.

“It’s some rort, probably from some other part of the world, they’ve posted some photo of me that they’ve lifted from somewhere but I have nothing to do with it.”

According to the latest data from Scamwatch Australians lost a reported loss of $211 million in 2021 to scams. Aussies aged 65 years and older were the hardest hit by scams in 2021, losing $49.1 million and accounting for 23 per cent of the total losses for the year.

Individuals are encouraged to report scams to Scamwatch to ensure all relevant agencies are aware of the scams and action can be taken to prevent them.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Deputy Chair Delia Rickard offered some helpful advice to avoid falling victim to potential scams.

“Do not click on any links in messages that come to you out of the blue, and never provide any of your personal or banking details to someone you don’t personally know and trust,” she said.