The Fraud Week (1 - 7) national consumer campaign aims to raise awareness so people can avoid getting ripped off or having their identity compromised by fraudsters.

Fair Trading Minister Peter Lawlor said thousands of Australians fell victim to scams each year - and people in the Far North were not immune.

"The Office of Fair Trading received 2173 complaints relating to scams in 2009 - up 800 on the previous year," Mr Lawlor said.

"Of these, 22 originated from Far North Queensland residents.

The Office of Fair Trading's Cairns manager Len Curran said some of the scams he'd heard about locally in the past year included itinerant bitumen layers who were trading door to door and purporting to be working on highways in the local area.

"The quality of the bitumen and the quality of the work in these situations was extremely substandard," Mr Curran said.

"Job seekers also fell victim to a local man who advertised false employment opportunities on his website, while the well-known Nigerian-based internet scams have also been reported.

Far North Queensland MP's joined Minister Lawlor in raising awareness of the tricks scammers use to take advantage of consumers.

"Scams often come from multiple sources, including by post, email, over the phone or at the front door," said Steve Wettenhall Member for Barron River.

"Anyone anywhere can be a target and I urge people in the region to be vigilant," he said.

Member for Cairns Desley Boyle added whatever the method, scammers were manipulative and made a living from lying by promising easy money, great prizes or a way out of financial hardship.

"They often use real-looking websites, letters, brochures, emails and leaflets to dupe you into providing personal banking information," she said.

"Unsolicited offers, high pressure sales tactics, deals that don't sound quite right or too good to be true (because they are) are some of the warning signs."

Member for Cook Jason O'Brien also warned consumers of the tell tale signs of a scam and urged them to do their research before making a decision

"If you are still unsure, I suggest having a look at some of the different types of scams listed on www.scamwatch.gov.au as you might recognise the offer there," he said.

"Err on the side of caution and throw the letter in the bin, delete the message, shut the door or hang up the phone if you smell a rat."

Mr Lawlor said many scam victims didn't report their experience because they felt humiliated when they realised they had been duped.

"Many people have been caught out so you're not alone. Information can be reported via www.scamwatch.gov.au or www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au and it may help in putting a stop to the scam or alerting others," he said.

The Office of Fair Trading's Cairns office is located at 5D Sheridan Street in the Cairns Courthouse building and can also be contacted on 13 13 04.

Mr Lawlor said the Fraud Week campaign was an important national initiative.

"The Office of Fair Trading, as a member of the Australian Consumer Fraud Taskforce, has helped coordinate the campaign to bring about a greater knowledge and understanding of scams among consumers."

For more information on protecting yourself from scams, visit www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au or www.scamwatch.gov.au