SCAMS

Scams are increasingly common particularly online and can do profound harm to their victims. We need to be vigilant about scams to protect ourselves.
This page is designed to assist you in understanding what scams are, how to avoid becoming a victim and where to go if you need assistance.

What are scams?

A scam is a deceptive scheme or trick used to cheat someone out of money or other valuable things. Scammers often use false promises, fake stories, or misleading information to manipulate their victims into giving up their resources, personal information, or both.

You can find more detailed information about scams by going to Scamwatch. It is a great source of information about the latest scams, things to look out for and data in relation to scams.

Common scammer actions

Scammers often look for new actions to scam or trick people into giving away their personal information or money. Here is a list of common scam actions that have been identified, this list is ever changing and you need to be vigilant:

Sending messages that ask you to click on a link that takes you to a webpage asking for your username, password, or personal information
Creating a sense of urgency by requesting personal details or money quickly
Linking to an organisation that you think is real, tells you there has been an unauthorised transaction, or asks you to confirm a payment that you didn’t make
Acting as a business that asks you to use a different bank account and BSB from the last payment you made
Pretending to be from a government department, regulator or law enforcement and they threaten immediate arrest, deportation, or ask you to pay money
Asking you to transfer money to an account to ‘keep it safe’ or for ‘further investigation’