Detective Sergeant Wayne Ryan, of the Warrnambool police crime investigation unit, also urged people to help their elderly relatives as they plunge into the world of internet connectivity.

"We are continuing to have ongoing issues in relation to cyber crime and people need to be aware that criminals with computer skills will infiltrate email chains," he said.

"There is often a small mistake in the email addresses and before ever changing anyone's bank account details check with the biller via a telephone call or face-to-face contact.

"Don't ever transfer a significant amount of money without checking. It's that simple. Do not take that bank account detail change at face value."

Detective Acting Sergeant Ryan said elderly people finding their way into the modern world of internet connectivity were also vulnerable.

"Family members should be aware that their elderly relatives may be vulnerable to cyber crime. It's a good idea to assist those elderly relatives and explain not to press on links or transfer any money," he said.

The warning come after south-west hospitals were the target of a ransomware attack on Monday last week that is still having an impact.

Internet services and email are still not being used by Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton, Port Fairy and Colac hospitals.

Internal communication issues at Warrnambool Base Hospital are being managed using a range of initiatives, including fax machines, phones, incident control groups, Facebook updates, notice boards, a daily (hard copy) communique and regular face-to-face management updates.

Read more:

South-west schools and business have also previously been the target of the email/bank account scam.

Emmanuel College was scammed mid last year, with only $1200 of $480,000 transferred being recovered by police.

The college made a payment of $480,000 on May 11 after receiving an email changing bank account details purporting to be from a Warrnambool construction business.

A woman from Ipswich was charged in relation to a similar email bank account scam involving the Midfield Group but staff stopped payment and scammers only netted a fraction of their potential collect.

In 2017 Wannon Water also made a complaint to Warrnambool police relating to a $120,000 scam attempt.

Australians are reporting cyber crimes every 10 minutes, according to the country's online security watchdog.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre has received more than 13,500 reports of cybercrime since a new online portal opened in July.

People lost an average of $700 to cyber crimes, according to survey results released by the centre on Monday.

Online fraud was the most common type of crime reported, such as people clicking links in messages claiming to be from their bank and filling out online banking details.

But it also included people duped by online love rats who were convinced to wire thousands of dollars abroad.

This was closely followed by identity fraud, with criminals opening bank accounts in other people's names.

Victoria reported the largest share of cyber crime to the centre, closely followed by Queensland and NSW.

Over two-thirds of those who reported a financial loss because of cyber crime were aged between 25 and 34.

Two in five people said they used the same password for all, if not most, of their accounts, with the names of pets or family members the most popular.

The centre's head, Rachel Noble, said all Australians connected to the internet were vulnerable.

"The threat is real, but there is something you can do about it," Ms Noble said.

This included using different passwords between devices, updating software whenever possible and switching on privacy settings for social media accounts.

The federal government estimates cyber security incidents cost Australian businesses $29 billion each year.

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.