"Nine out of 10 times, it's very difficult for us to get the [stolen] money back for customers," Orange Credit Union's marketing and communications manager, Mel Monico explained.

"And despite all of the protective measures that banking institutions have in place, it's hard to reverse transactions once an account owner has authorised or given permission to those transactions - and usually the money goes offshore or into the system, where it can't be traced."

Orange Credit Union's latest 'Stay Safe' forum on Thursday has neared 50 registrations already, with victims of recent fraud eager for education, as the local branch puts prevention and proactivity at the top of the list.

"We really want to start a conversation around how to protect yourself, especially following COVID where so many people were targeted on phones and via email," Ms Monico said.

"It's social engineering what [scam artists] are doing and they're really targeting anyone - using different ways like various puppy for sale' scams, posing as the Australia Tax Office, parcel and email scams - to trick people and unfortunately, people are falling for their ways."

Contrary to popular belief, scam artists have had a wide scope of prey for a fair length of time now, which OCU's CEO, Andrew de Graaff says is the reason the branch is taking on a leadership role to build confidence amidst the city's residents.

"Unfortunately, it is not only the most vulnerable or elderly residents who are being targeted, our local experience at Orange Credit Union has shown it can happen to anywhere, anywhere and it is happening right here in the Orange community," Mr de Graaff said.

"Being scammed is one of the most worrying financial issues of our time, especially since the onset of COVID-19, but it doesn't have to be this way - we want to help people stay one step ahead to avoid fraud and scams."

The latest data from 'Scamwatch' - a website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) - revealed the issue continues to grow with "more common and sophisticated" tactics, costing the community hundreds of millions of dollars per annum - and leaving some of the impacted feeling daft for getting 'sucked in'.

"We want the community to know they are not alone and there is no need to be embarrassed if you have been targeted or even scammed," Mr de Graaff added.

"Since Orange Credit Union started these forums over two years ago, we have helped raise awareness and opened the conversation to help others."

OCU has also partnered with detective senior constable Megan Duckworth to deliver security and crime prevention information - from exploring the latest fraudulent trends, types of scams, what to look out for and simple ways to stay safe online.

Free of charge, the forum will be held on March 3 from 10am to 12 noon at Summer Street's Hotel Canobolas in Orange (in the upstairs function venue) with morning tea and light refreshments provided.

To register for the event, bookings can be made online via www.orangecu.com.au/stay-safe, or by phoning OCU on (02) 6362 4466.