Australia Scams: Investment, Impersonation & Online Fraud Guide
Common scams in Australia and how to report them to Scamwatch, ReportCyber, and your bank.
Emergency number: 000 — verify on official sources.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Australians lose more money to scams than almost any comparable population, and investment fraud consistently drives the largest share of it — crypto trading platforms, 'guaranteed return' schemes, and pig-butchering operations that begin as romance or friendship. Alongside those sit the everyday threats: impersonation of banks, myGov, the ATO, and toll operators by text and phone; remote-access calls posing as tech support or bank fraud teams; and job and delivery smishing. Australia also has one of the better-developed reporting ecosystems, so knowing where to report matters: Scamwatch (run by the National Anti-Scam Centre) for scams generally, ReportCyber for cybercrime, and your bank immediately whenever money has moved.
A few patterns are distinctively Australian. PayID scams plague Facebook Marketplace: a 'buyer' claims they paid via PayID but the payment is 'on hold' until the seller upgrades an account or refunds an 'overpayment' — PayID never works that way and has no fees. Toll smishing impersonating Linkt and eToll arrives in waves, as do fake myGov and ATO refund or debt messages timed around tax season. The 'Hi Mum' WhatsApp scam — a child texting from a 'new number' needing urgent money — remains a reliable earner for fraudsters, and fake bond or term-deposit comparison sites impersonating major banks catch savers searching for better interest rates.
Investment scams deserve special caution because the losses are life-changing: cloned websites of real Australian financial firms, celebrity-deepfake ads, and 'account managers' who coach victims on fake trading platforms until withdrawal requests trigger demands for 'tax' or 'fees'. Check any offer against ASIC's Moneysmart resources and the professional register before transferring, and treat unsolicited investment contact as a scam by default. This guide covers the scams most active in Australia and the exact reporting route for each.
Common scams
- Investment and crypto scams
- Romance and pig-butchering scams
- Bank and government (myGov/ATO) impersonation
- Remote-access tech scams
Tourist-specific scams
- Ride and tour overcharging
- Ticket scams
- Fake holiday-rental listings taken by bank transfer
Online shopping scams
- Delivery and toll (Linkt/eToll) smishing
- Marketplace non-delivery and PayID 'on hold' scams
- Phishing impersonating myGov, the ATO, and banks
Job scams
- Task scams
- Recruitment and work-from-home scams
- Money-mule recruitment disguised as flexible 'finance' roles
Romance scams
- Dating-app romance and crypto grooming
- 'Hi Mum' family-impersonation messages on WhatsApp
- Long-distance partners with escalating emergencies
Investment scams
- Fake trading platforms and bond/term-deposit imposters
- Crypto and 'AI bot' scams
- Celebrity-deepfake ads funnelling into 'account manager' coached platforms
How to report a scam here
- Contact your bank immediately to stop or trace payments
- Report scams to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au)
- Report cybercrime to ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au/report)
- Check entities and warnings via ASIC/Moneysmart
Local reporting & protection links
Always verify reporting routes and emergency contacts on the official government or agency website for your country.
Bank & payment guidance
Contact your bank straight away to attempt to halt or trace transfers - the sooner you call, the more chance there is that the money has not moved on. Reach them through the app or the number on your card, never through a number or link sent to you. Explain that you were tricked into approving the payment, ask for the receiving account to be reported, and write down the reference. Australian banks participate in industry-wide anti-scam measures including confirmation-of-payee style name checking and inter-bank fraud reporting, so an early report can trigger a trace even after funds leave your account. Government services like the ATO and myGov won't demand crypto or gift-card payments, and PayID transfers never involve fees, upgrades, or 'holds' that a buyer must release. If you gave remote access to your computer or phone, tell the bank explicitly, stop using that device for banking, and change passwords from a clean device. Ask about replacing your card and changing your banking passwords, and consider IDCARE support if identity documents were exposed.
Evidence to preserve
- Screenshot all messages, profiles, websites and payment pages
- Save transaction references, account numbers and crypto wallet addresses
- Keep emails with full headers where possible
- Note dates, times, names and phone numbers used
Frequently asked questions
Where do I report a scam in Australia?
Report scams to Scamwatch and cybercrime to ReportCyber, and contact your bank immediately. For investment checks, use ASIC's Moneysmart.
Is there a fee or 'hold' to receive a PayID payment?
No. PayID is a free addressing service for bank transfers — there are no receiving fees, upgrades, or held payments a buyer must 'release'. Any message saying otherwise, usually accompanied by a fake bank email, is a scam aimed at marketplace sellers.
How do I check whether an investment offer is legitimate in Australia?
Search the provider on ASIC's registers and Moneysmart, contact the firm via the number on its official website rather than the one in the offer, and be suspicious of any opportunity introduced by an unsolicited call, social media ad, or new online acquaintance. Cloned firms copy real company details, so verifying independently matters.
Sources
- National police and cybercrime portals (verify on official sites)
- FTC / Action Fraud / Scamwatch consumer guidance