Australians considering switching their service providers for fixed broadband, mobile phone, home phone, electricity and gas are all far more likely to visit comparison websites in an average four weeks than the typical Australian, according to a new report.

Text messaging, rather than talking over the phone, is now preferred by many Australians, according to a new survey which found that 56% of Aussie adults avoid making phone calls, turning instead to messaging apps or even email.

Scamming of mobile phone users with premium service texts has already cost Aussies $44,179 this year alone – and $153,197 in losses since 2015.