Your parents already text you "is this real?" Is it a scam? answers in ten seconds, on the phone they already use. No app to install, no account, nothing new to learn. There's a private family page for richer detail and alerts — but no one ever needs it to stay safe.
Built in Australia. Works with Australia Post, the major banks, myGov, Medicare and Centrelink out of the box.
The workflow exists today: a worrying text arrives, they forward it to you, you reply "don't click that." It works — until you're in a meeting, asleep, or on a plane, and the text says their parcel will be returned unless they pay in the next hour.
A jolt of panic, a fake deadline, and no one to ask right now. Scammers engineer exactly that moment — urgency plus isolation — because it's when good judgement fails.
The low, constant worry that the one text you didn't catch in time is the one that cleans out their account. You can't watch their phone all day. Is it a scam? can.
No dashboard to learn. No verdict they can't interpret. They forward anything that worries them — a text, a link, a phone number, "they want me to buy gift cards" — and get a plain answer back.
To one number they've saved as "Is it a scam?." The same gesture they use to send you a photo. Nothing new to install or remember.
We read the links, the sender, and the request against scam databases, domain checks and a list of real Australian institutions — in about ten seconds.
A clear verdict, the one reason it matters, and — if it's bad — exactly how to block them. Written like a steady person, not a security alert.
This matches a real sender we recognise. Safe to read — but still log in yourself, never through a link.
We're not certain. Don't act on it until you've checked with someone you trust. When in doubt, we never guess "safe."
Don't click, don't pay, don't reply. Here's why, in plain words — and here's how to block them.
The whole service runs over plain texts and email — the channels your parents already use. There's a private family page that makes the experience richer, but it's entirely optional. No one is ever locked out of safety, and there's nothing to install.
The complete product, with nothing to download. A worrying message goes to one number or address; a calm verdict comes straight back. This alone keeps your parent safe.
When you want depth — usually the adult child, sometimes the parent too — every verdict already arrives with its plain-English why. The family page adds the history, block-the-sender walkthroughs, and quiet family alerts on top.
Scammers don't only send dodgy links. They impersonate trusted names, invent deadlines, and ask for the one thing no real organisation asks for by text. Is it a scam? is built for all of it.
"Is this Australia Post text real?" Get a verdict plus the official tracking page — and a reminder that real couriers never charge a fee through a text link.
Forward a number or a missed-call notice. We say whether it's tied to a verified business or behaving like a scam line.
We verify against real Australian institutions and reply with their genuine, independently-sourced contact details — the antidote to spoofing.
"They want me to buy gift cards" or "transfer $4,000." We catch the classic patterns regardless of the exact words used.
Add the people who matter — you, a sibling, the accountant. A message claiming to be from them but sent from a strange number gets flagged.
"Scan the code to pay your toll" is 2026's fastest-growing trick — the square hides where the link really goes. Any message pushing a QR code with a payment or verify ask gets flagged as a scam.
No filter on earth can screen a voice call. But if someone rings claiming to be the ATO, the bank or "tech support," your parent can simply tell us what they said — by text, email or WhatsApp — and the same engine checks it. "A man called saying I owe money and must pay with gift cards" comes back as exactly what it is.
Can't forward it? Photograph it. Text us the picture, or attach it to an email to check@ — a screenshot of a WhatsApp thread, a text, an email or a letter all work. We read the image, including the sender name at the top, and reply with the same calm verdict.
One short text when a scam is sweeping your state — "fake toll texts circulating in QLD this week" — so they recognise it before it lands.
Plain, illustrated steps to harden their iPhone — block a sender, remove saved cards, turn on the bank's alerts — walked through one step at a time, on your family page.
The forward-it habit now covers email too — where the cleverest scams live. A calm verdict still comes straight back by message, and a private family page holds the fuller picture for anyone who wants it.
Email is where the high-value scams hide — fake invoices, "your account is suspended," refund traps. They're longer and more convincing, and AI now writes them without a single spelling tell.
She forwards it to one address; the same calm verdict comes back. It works on her phone, her iPad, her laptop — anywhere she reads email. And if it isn't an email at all, she can attach a screenshot of it — a photo of any message is enough.
The verdict still arrives by message in seconds — the family page is never required. But when someone wants more, it holds everything that's been checked, who's protected, and step-by-step guides to block a sender and harden their phone.
A gentle notification, never an alarm. Written like a steady person, not a security pop-up.
One family, one shared view. The grandkids can set up trusted contacts; any sibling gets the near-miss alerts. No one sees private messages — just a calm note when something was caught.
It's not surveillance. It's the relief of knowing, together, that they're okay.
Right now your mum screenshots the message, sends it to you, explains it, and waits — because you're the one she trusts. If you're in a meeting she waits three hours, or worse, decides on her own. When a message is genuinely ambiguous, she replies ASK and the question goes to your whole family at once, already explained. Whoever's free answers first. You stop being on call.
Is it a scam? isn't surveillance — no one sees their messages. But the family members who opt in get a short, reassuring note when it matters, and a calm weekly summary if they want one. The grandkids can help set it up; your parent only ever deals with one number. The relief is the product.
You pay; they're protected. Scam checks are always unlimited for the people you're looking out for — we never put a wall between your parent and a "this is a scam." This is founding-family pricing — the rate our first families sign up at is locked for them for life.
A whole family can look out for a parent or grandparent together — the grandkids set it up, everyone gets the all-clear, and they only ever see one calm number to forward to.
We write plain-English guides to the scams hitting Australian families most — no jargon, no signup, free to read and share with your parents.
No — that's the whole point. Is it a scam? works entirely through the Messages app already on the phone. You save our number in their contacts as "Is it a scam?," and from then on they just forward anything that worries them. No app store, no password, no new screen to learn.
Calls are where the biggest losses happen, and no filter can screen a voice call — not your telco, not any app. But your parent can tell us what was said: "someone rang from the bank and wants me to move my money to a safe account." Sent by text, email or WhatsApp, that description runs through the same engine as any forwarded message, and the verdict comes back the same calm way. If they've already paid or given details, we reply with the exact steps: who to ring, in what order, starting with their bank.
Yes — and the easiest way is a screenshot. Take a picture of the WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger or dating-app conversation and send it to us by text or to check@getforwardit.com; we read the image, including the sender name at the top, and reply with the same calm verdict. Copying the message text works too. These apps use the identical patterns we catch everywhere else — urgent money requests, "don't tell your family," guaranteed returns, someone never met in person asking for a fee. Worth knowing: Australia's biggest losses start exactly there, with a long friendly conversation on an app, weeks before money is mentioned.
No. We only ever see a message when your parent chooses to forward it to us. We can't see their inbox, their contacts, or anything they don't send us. You, as the family member who pays, don't see the content of their messages either — only a short alert when something is flagged.
We're honest about this. Most scams follow patterns we catch reliably — fake deadlines, dodgy links, impersonated brands, requests for gift cards or transfers. But when we're genuinely unsure, we never guess "safe." We return 🟡 Be careful and tell your parent to hold off until they've checked with someone they trust. Caution is the default, because the cost of a false "all clear" is the thing we exist to prevent.
Partly — and that's the insight. Is it a scam? automates the "forward to my kid, get told don't click" loop you already run. The difference is it answers in ten seconds at 2am, on a work trip, or when you simply miss the message. It doesn't replace you; it covers the moments you can't.
This is about where we live, not what we can read (we check WhatsApp scams too — see above). Because most older Australians live in the green Messages app and don't use WhatsApp. Asking them to install a new app and add a bot is exactly the friction that means they never do it. Meeting them where they already are — and where forwarding is a habit — is what makes this actually get used.
Your parent gets the verdict, a plain-English reason, and one clear next step — usually how to block the sender. They can reply REPORT and we'll prepare a Scamwatch report on their behalf, so a scam they dodged helps protect someone else too.
Set up takes two minutes: sign up, add your parent's number, and we'll text them a friendly practice run. You'll get a private family view — and we'll be honest with you about exactly what it does and doesn't do.
Sign up →Is it a scam? gives guidance, not a guarantee. It's a calm second opinion to help your parent pause and check — it doesn't replace your own judgement, your bank's fraud team, or official advice from Scamwatch. Stop. Check. Protect.