Already sent money or details to a scammer, or think you have been scammed?
Your protection at a glance
Today's tip
A new one every day. Come back tomorrow for the next.
Plain-English glossary
Terms you'll come across in this app and elsewhere, explained without the jargon.
Got a message that feels off right now?
Want more depth than a quick tip? Sfinco Guides: iPhone Protection walks through your whole phone's settings, chapter by chapter, arriving soon.
Not sure about a message?
Upload a screenshot, scan a QR code, or paste the text of a suspicious SMS, email, or message below, and we'll check it against our database of known scam tactics. A link on its own works too. No judgement, just a second pair of eyes.
Want to see how it works? Try or .
Found something worrying?
Want the full picture on phishing and fake texts? Chapter 5 of iPhone Protection covers it in depth, arriving soon.
Who to call when something feels off
If a message asks you to call a number it gives you, don't. Use one of these instead, or a number you already trust. To report a scam online, visit scamwatch.gov.au. That one's a website form, there's no phone line for it.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre's 24/7 line, the main government number for cybercrime, hacking, and online scams.
1300 292 371Free support if your identity or details have been compromised.
1800 595 160More numbers (banks, telcos, deliveries, tolls, government)
Government
For fake myGov, Centrelink, or Medicare messages.
1800 941 126For fake ATO or tax messages.
1800 008 540Banks
Report a scam or suspicious activity.
13 22 21Telephone banking and fraud reporting.
13 20 32Report a scam or suspicious activity.
13 13 14Say "fraud" when prompted to get through faster.
13 22 65Phone & internet providers
Say "fraud" for scam calls, or forward a scam text to 7726 free.
13 22 00General customer service. Optus has no separate scam line, so also report to Scamwatch.
13 39 37Post & deliveries
For fake delivery or customs fee texts.
13 76 78Toll roads
For fake "unpaid toll" texts (covers CityLink, M2, and most Australian toll roads).
13 33 31Melbourne's EastLink runs its own separate account system to Linkt.
(03) 9955 1400Your trusted contact
Save a family member or friend's number here so it's always one tap away.
Family passphrase
Agree on a word or phrase with your family that only you'd know. If a call or message ever claims to be an emergency involving them, ask for it before doing anything else, before sending money, before anything.
Curious how AI is changing scams?
AI is changing how scams look
Scammers are starting to use the same AI tools everyone else is, to clone voices, fake videos, and write more convincing messages. It's still fairly rare in Australia, but worth knowing about.
AI scam examples
Scammers can now clone a voice from just a few seconds of audio, sometimes taken from a video posted online. If you get a call that sounds exactly like a family member urgently asking for money, hang up and call them back on the number you already have for them. If you've set up a family passphrase in "Who to call," you can also just ask for it, a real family member will know it straight away.
Fake videos of well-known news presenters, politicians, or business figures promoting a secret trading platform are increasingly convincing. Real public figures don't make money by tipping you off to investments online. Watch for the conversation quickly moving to WhatsApp or Telegram.
Some romance and investment scams now use AI chatbots that can chat naturally with hundreds of people at once, building what feels like a real friendship before eventually asking for money. However genuine the connection felt, being asked for money, especially in cryptocurrency, is the warning sign.
How to protect yourself
- Agree on a family codeword for emergencies: something only you and close family know, to check over the phone if a call ever feels urgent or off.
- If a "family member" call feels off, try a video call back instead of just ringing the same number. Voices can be cloned, but faking a live video convincingly is much harder.
- Before investing based on something you saw online, check the person or company on ASIC's free Professional Registers. A real financial adviser or firm will be listed there.
- Watch for glitches in videos: mismatched lip movement, jerky facial expressions, or audio that doesn't quite line up. These are common signs of a faked video.
- Good spelling and grammar don't prove a message is genuine any more. AI can write perfectly well too. Judge a message by what it's asking you to do, not how well it's written.
Common scam types
Almost every scam is a variation on a small number of tricks. Once you know the pattern, it's much easier to spot, whatever channel it arrives through.
- Impersonation scams. Someone pretends to be your bank, the police, a government department, or even a friend or family member, to get you to hand over personal details. They can fake caller ID and slot a fake text into a real conversation thread.
- Investment scams. Convincing ads and pushy sales talk promise big returns for little or no risk. Real investments don't come with guarantees, and a genuine adviser never rushes you.
- Jobs and employment scams. A job pays very well for very little work, sometimes "hiring" on behalf of a well-known company. They may ask you to pay money upfront before you can start.
- Products and services scams. A fake online store, fake reviews, or a "seller" who takes your money and never delivers. Some even hijack a real business's invoices and swap in their own bank details.
- Romance scams. Someone builds an online relationship with you, sometimes over months, then invents an emergency and asks for money. They often use a stolen photo and identity.
- Threats and extortion scams. A caller claims to be from a trusted organisation and threatens arrest, deportation, or harm unless you pay immediately, or threatens to share private photos unless you pay them.
- Unexpected money scams. A message claims you're owed money, or have won something you never entered for, then asks for a fee or your banking details to "release" it.
Want to get better at spotting these?
Practice spotting scams
Scams impersonating trusted names cost Australians millions every year. One recent wave of fake celebrity investment ads alone was linked to $7.4 million in reported losses. The good news: pausing to check is usually all it takes to avoid one. A bit of practice makes that pause easier.
Your 3-step method
The same three steps work for almost any scam, whatever shape it takes. Keep them in mind as you go through the messages below.
- Stop. Don't hand over money or personal information to anyone you're not certain about, even if they seem to be from an organisation you already know and trust.
- Check. Could this message or call be fake? Don't click a link in it. If you want to contact the business or department yourself, look up the number independently rather than using one from the message. If you're not sure, it's fine to say no, hang up, or delete it.
- Protect. If something feels wrong, act quickly. Contact your bank if you notice unusual activity or a scammer gets hold of your money or details, and report the scam so others can be warned too.
How scams reach you
The tricks are similar everywhere, but knowing how each one usually shows up makes it easier to catch.
Text or SMS
Often pretends to be the government, a business, or a family member with a "new number," pushing you to act fast with a link to a fake website. Never click the link. If it claims to be family, call them back on the number you already have for them.
Copies real logos and disguises the sender's address to look genuine, then asks you to log in, pay into a "changed" account, or open an unexpected attachment. Check it's real by contacting the organisation yourself, never through a link in the email.
Phone calls
Scammers call pretending to be your bank, the police, or a government department, sometimes already knowing your name or address to seem convincing. If you're not sure who's calling, hang up and call back on a number you've found yourself.
Websites
Fake sites can copy a well-known brand almost perfectly, complete with fake reviews and paid ads. Search the business name plus the word "scam" before buying, and remember a high-ranking ad doesn't mean it's genuine.
Social media and apps
Scammers set up fake profiles, sometimes using a real person's photo, to approach you on social media, dating apps, or messaging apps like WhatsApp. Be wary of anyone you've never met asking to move to a private chat or asking for money.
Practice 1: Spot the scam
Have a read and decide: scam, or the real deal?
Practice 2: Spot the red flag
Read the message, then tap the part that gives it away. Sometimes nothing does.
Practice 3: Handle the call
A phone call is playing out. Read what the caller says, then choose how you'd respond. One wrong move and the call is over, so take your time.
Practice 4: Spot the fake website
Scammers copy a well-known site almost perfectly, the address is usually the only thing that gives it away. Which of these is the real one?
Want to see what's currently doing the rounds?
What's doing the rounds
A running list of real scam patterns currently targeting Australians, so you can recognise one before it reaches you. It's not every scam going around, just the ones we've spotted so far. Not sure about something you've actually received? Use "Check a message" instead.
New tactics to watch
Common patterns by channel
Other free tools worth knowing
Check if your email address has turned up in a known data breach. Free, and one of the most trusted tools of its kind. Look for "Notify me" on the site to get a free automatic email if you're ever caught up in a future breach. Note: it only covers email addresses, not phone numbers.
haveibeenpwned.comThe Australian Government's official list of reported data breaches, so you can check if a company you use has had one.
oaic.gov.auReport a cybercrime directly to the Australian Government, separate from calling the ACSC hotline.
cyber.gov.au/reportHelp and reporting for online harassment, image-based abuse, or other harmful content.
esafety.gov.auCheck whether a financial adviser or investment firm is actually licensed before trusting them with money.
asic.gov.auSee today's tip again?