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Scam guides for Australian families.

Plain English, no jargon, written in Australia, for families and small businesses. Guides are grouped by situation — jump to messages pretending to be someone, buying, selling and money, families and carers, after a scam, or small business.

Worried about a specific message right now? The fastest answer is to check it free or forward it to us. For the numbers behind the guides, see the monthly reports.

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Three pages that cover most situations. If you only read one, read the first.

How to tell if a text is a scam: the 10-second check
Three questions that catch almost every scam text in Australia, the five tells to look for, and every common scam by name - parcels, tolls, Hi Mum, banks.
31 August 2026 · 6 min read
Signs your parent is being scammed, and how to raise it without a fight
Secrecy matters more than the money. Why laying out all your evidence backfires - and who to ring in Australia when they won't believe you.
30 July 2026 · 11 min read
Scam protection for elderly parents: the options, honestly compared
Start with the bank, not an app. The five real options, what each covers, and why the most effective one is free.
30 July 2026 · 11 min read

New this week

The Qantas points expiring scam: real reminders, fake links
Qantas does send points-expiry reminders, which is why the fakes work. The one address check, what a real reminder never asks, and what to do if you logged in.
22 September 2026 · 5 min read
Pre-approved loan scam: the fee before the money
Approved instantly, then asked for a fee to release the loan? No real lender charges before the money arrives. The one rule, and how to check any lender.
22 September 2026 · 5 min read
Port-out scams: when your phone suddenly says SOS only
Phone suddenly says SOS only and bank codes stop arriving? Someone may have moved your number. What a real port looks like, and the hour that matters.
22 September 2026 · 6 min read
The fake AFP call: 'move your money to protect it'
Callers posing as the AFP or ReportCyber say your identity is tied to a crime and your savings must move. No agency ever asks that. The script, line by line.
22 September 2026 · 6 min read
Is this Linkt toll text real? The unpaid-toll scam
Linkt does send toll notices, which is why the fake texts work. The one web address that counts, what a real notice never threatens, and what to do if you paid.
22 September 2026 · 4 min read
Age-verification scam: 'upload your ID or lose your account'
Upload your licence in 48 hours or lose your account? No platform checks your age by an emailed link. What genuine age checks look like, and what to do.
22 September 2026 · 5 min read
The recovery scam: 'we can get your money back' for a fee
After a scam comes the 'recovery agency' that found your money and needs a fee. Real recovery is free. Who genuinely helps, and the line that gives fakes away.
22 September 2026 · 5 min read
Fake trading platforms: the scam that lets you withdraw once
Fake trading platforms show profits, allow one small withdrawal, then demand a 'tax' to release the rest. The tells, and the free two-minute ASIC check.
22 September 2026 · 7 min read
“Your computer has a virus, call Microsoft”: the pop-up that empties bank accounts
Two Queensland couples lost $100,000 and $230,000 to the same screen. The three moves, the tell for each, and why the bank kept the debt.
4 September 2026 · 9 min read
Why your texts now say 'Unverified' - and what it doesn't mean
Since 1 July 2026, texts from unregistered business names carry an Unverified label. What it means, what it doesn't, and the scams it can't see.
31 August 2026 · 4 min read
The Marketplace PayID scam: nobody pays a fee to receive money
A keen buyer, a PayID 'payment pending' email, a fee to upgrade your account. PayID never emails anyone. Money is real only when it shows in your bank app.
31 August 2026 · 5 min read
Fake stores and deposit scams: puppies, cars, caravans and the site that vanishes
Too-good prices, a seller who can't meet you, a deposit by bank transfer. How fake stores and deposit scams work, and the one payment rule that protects you.
31 August 2026 · 5 min read

Texts, calls and emails pretending to be someone

The parcel, the toll, the bank, the ATO, the grandchild in trouble. Same trick, different costume.

Is this Australia Post text real? How to tell in 10 seconds
A quick, plain-English way to tell whether an AusPost delivery text is genuine — and the one rule that catches almost every fake.
15 July 2026 · 3 min read
Is that myGov, Linkt or Medicare text real? One rule covers all three
Services Australia says it plainly: a myGov text with a link is a scam. The same now holds for Linkt and Medicare - and here's why the rule works.
30 July 2026 · 8 min read
A text from your bank's real number can still be a scam
A text in your real bank's thread can still be a scam: scammers spoof the sender name and number. How it happens, and the one check that still works. Why the number proves nothing, and what actually does.
20 July 2026 · 3 min read
The "safe account" scam: your bank will never ask this
If a caller says your money is at risk and asks you to move it to a safe account, that request is the scam itself - every single time.
20 July 2026 · 3 min read
The HSBC scam text: $23 million lost, and a payout fight that isn't over
Spoofed texts in the real bank thread, a $35m fine, and reimbursements still in dispute. What the messages looked like - and the ten-second check that beats them.
21 August 2026 · 6 min read
Is that ATO tax refund text real? The one-line test
The ATO never sends an unsolicited SMS with a link. July is the worst month of the year for scam losses in Australia.
30 July 2026 · 9 min read
The scam where the popup is real: an Apple ID reset alert, then a "press 1" rescue call
A genuine password-reset prompt, then a call from 0457 502 322 saying someone in Russia is changing your account. The popup checks out. The call is the trap - and the number is a costume.
28 August 2026 · 4 min read
Is that AusAlert text real? What a genuine emergency alert looks like
A real AusAlert is broadcast by the phone network - it never arrives as a text you can forward, and never asks you to register or verify anything. What the national test involves, and the fakes to expect.
26 July 2026 · 4 min read
Why your texts now say 'Unverified' - and what it doesn't mean
Since 1 July 2026, texts from unregistered business names carry an Unverified label. What it means, what it doesn't, and the scams it can't see.
31 August 2026 · 4 min read
The "Hi Mum" and voice-clone scam: when the message sounds like family
A text from a new number saying Hi Mum, I've lost my phone, or a call in your child's exact voice - how the family-impersonation scam works and the one habit that defeats it.
20 July 2026 · 4 min read
“Your computer has a virus, call Microsoft”: the pop-up that empties bank accounts
Two Queensland couples lost $100,000 and $230,000 to the same screen. The three moves, the tell for each, and why the bank kept the debt.
4 September 2026 · 9 min read
The fake NBN or Telstra call: how remote access scams work
Australians 65+ were 86% of NBN impersonation losses. Once they have access to the computer, they aren't asking for money - they're moving it.
30 July 2026 · 10 min read
That blackmail email knows your name and old address. It's still fake
The 'we recorded you through your webcam' email now arrives with perfect grammar and your real name and address. Why it's still fake, and what to do. Here's where those details actually came from - and why there is no video.
21 July 2026 · 4 min read

Buying, selling, jobs and money

Marketplace buyers who pay first, stores that vanish, jobs that need a deposit, returns that are guaranteed.

The Marketplace PayID scam: nobody pays a fee to receive money
A keen buyer, a PayID 'payment pending' email, a fee to upgrade your account. PayID never emails anyone. Money is real only when it shows in your bank app.
31 August 2026 · 5 min read
Fake stores and deposit scams: puppies, cars, caravans and the site that vanishes
Too-good prices, a seller who can't meet you, a deposit by bank transfer. How fake stores and deposit scams work, and the one payment rule that protects you.
31 August 2026 · 5 min read
The charge that comes back every month
A one-off purchase that quietly becomes a monthly charge, for a product that was never real. How the subscription trap works and how to stop the charges. How subscription traps are set, where the commitment hides, and how to stop it before the second payment.
13 August 2026 · 6 min read
The WhatsApp 'part-time task' job that pays you first
An unsolicited WhatsApp job, small real payouts, then tasks that need a deposit. How it works, and why the money-mule version can leave you facing charges.
31 August 2026 · 5 min read
Investment scam warning signs: why "guaranteed returns" is always a lie
Investment scams are Australia's largest scam loss category. The phrases that give them away, the withdrawal-fee trap, and how to check any offer for free.
15 July 2026 · 4 min read
The account nobody checks: superannuation scams in Australia
Your super is the biggest balance you have and the one you look at least. How the 2025 fund attacks actually worked, and the one rule that stops most super scams.
7 August 2026 · 9 min read
WhatsApp romance scams in Australia: the warning signs families miss
Romance scams cost Australians millions a year and almost always move to WhatsApp early. The signs, the moment money appears, and what to do.
15 July 2026 · 5 min read

For families and carers

Spotting it early, and protecting someone without taking over.

Signs your parent is being scammed, and how to raise it without a fight
Secrecy matters more than the money. Why laying out all your evidence backfires - and who to ring in Australia when they won't believe you.
30 July 2026 · 11 min read
My parent has dementia and keeps giving money to scammers
Teaching someone the warning signs relies on judgment. When dementia has affected judgment, the answer has to be structural instead.
30 July 2026 · 11 min read
How to protect your parents from scams when you live hours away
Distance doesn't make them more gullible - it makes you slower. The four changes that work without you being in the room.
30 July 2026 · 10 min read
Scam protection for elderly parents: the options, honestly compared
Start with the bank, not an app. The five real options, what each covers, and why the most effective one is free.
30 July 2026 · 11 min read

After a scam

What can be recovered, who to ring first, and the second scam that follows the first.

Can I get my money back after a scam? The honest answer
Speed decides it. Plus the little-known right to complain about the bank that received the money - and why the $3,000 refund isn't law yet.
30 July 2026 · 10 min read
Mum sent money to a scammer. What to do in the next hour.
Who to ring first, the little-known right to complain about the bank that received the money, and why the next call is the dangerous one.
30 July 2026 · 9 min read
When the scammer is in your ear at the bank counter
Victims are walking into branches with a scammer on the phone telling them what to say. No real bank ever asks you to stay on a call while you go in - the rule that stops it, agreed before it happens.
9 August 2026 · 8 min read

For small business

Invoices, suppliers, BAS week and the ads account - the scams that arrive looking like paperwork.

The email says your supplier's bank details have changed
Payment redirection took $166.8m in 2025 and false billing is the most reported small business scam. Why replying to check makes it worse, and the two-minute call that stops it.
7 August 2026 · 9 min read
An invoice arrived for something you never ordered
Domain renewals, directory listings, 'final notice' fees. The most frequently reported small business scam in Australia - and why the honest answer is often 'be careful', not 'fraud'.
7 August 2026 · 8 min read
Is that ATO message real? The business version
The ATO never sends a link to a login page. What to check in BAS week, the reply-with-documents variant with no link at all, and what the Sender ID Register does and doesn't prove.
7 August 2026 · 8 min read
The renovation scam nobody warns you about
A builder's inbox gets compromised mid-job and the next progress claim arrives with different bank details. Nothing in the wording gives it away. Why staged payments are the target, and the one habit that catches it.
12 August 2026 · 7 min read
The email to the treasurer that costs a club its season
Volunteer committees are targeted like small businesses with none of the controls. The president-impersonation email, the changed supplier account, and two rules that cost nothing.
7 August 2026 · 7 min read
The invoice scam that empties settlements and aged care deposits
The email comes from the right address and sits in the right thread. The expensive version never claims anything changed - and 97% of buyers miss it.
31 July 2026 · 11 min read
The "your Meta ad account is restricted" email - real, or a scam?
A small business starts advertising; days later the perfect fake arrives - and sometimes it even comes from Meta's real servers. The one habit that beats every version.
28 August 2026 · 5 min read