Report and recover from scams

I’ve been scammed. What should I do? 

Below are the steps that you should take, depending on your situation. 

You think a scammer has targeted you, but you didn’t give them your details or money

• Report the scam to National Anti-Scam Centre - Scamwatch.
• Report the scam account to the social media or other platform they used to engage with you.
• If it looks like a scammer is impersonating an Australian business, contact the fair trading organisation in your state or territory.
• If you have opened a link on your computer, or followed instructions on how to install a software, you may have installed something malicious. Uninstall the program and run a full antivirus scan to check for anomalies.
• If you have received a message on a work laptop or phone, contact your IT department and let them know.

You’ve been scammed and lost money  

• Immediately report the transaction(s) to your bank or financial institution.
• Complete a report through ReportCyber.
• Stop all communication with the offender.
• Report the scam account to the social media or other platform they used to engage with you.
• Change your passwords to secure your online accounts. Visit IDCARE for advice on securing your accounts online.

You think a scammer has stolen your personal information  

• Contact your financial institution to secure your financial accounts.
• Check idcare.org for advice on securing your accounts online.
• Contact any other services that use your personal identity documents (e.g. ATO or Services Australia) to secure your accounts.
• Complete a report through ReportCyber.
• Make yourself a harder target: Secure your social media and other personal accounts, such as your email.
• Change the passwords to any other accounts you think the scammer may have accessed, or to which they now have access. This could include banking, superannuation and email accounts. You should prioritise changing the passwords of any account that reused the same password as the compromised accounts.
• Contact a credit reporting agency to see if any attempts to open accounts in your name have been made. For information on how to select an agency, visit IDCARE.

Do you suspect that you have been hacked, or may be a victim of a scam? Check our ‘Have you been hacked’ guidance on how to spot red flags, and solutions specific to your situation.

Resources for scam victims 

You're not alone. Anyone can be a target of an online scam. First, you should make a record of the key details of the scam. This includes what happened, when it happened, who contacted you, and how you responded.

If someone has stolen your money or identity, contact these agencies to report it, get help, and protect yourself from further harm.

Who should I contact?

ASD's ACSC ReportCyber

Report cybercrimes, security incidents and abuse through ReportCyber. Your report helps to disrupt crime operations and makes Australia more secure. If your money and/or identity is at risk, also notify the relevant services below.

Your financial institution

Contact your bank or credit union immediately if you’ve sent money to a scammer. They may be able to close your account or stop a transaction. Make sure you call them using their official phone number, not the one in the scam message. 

National Anti-Scam Centre - Scamwatch

Report online scams to National Anti-Scam Centre - Scamwatch. Your report helps to warn people about current scams and disrupt them where possible. You’ll need to provide details of the scam, such as a screenshot or text of the email or text.

Services Australia

Contact the Services Australia Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk. They can provide support if you’ve opened links in fake messages or sent personal details to someone pretending to be from myGov, Medicare, Centrelink or Child Support.

IDCARE

Contact IDCARE if your information is at risk from a data breach. They’re a national identity and cyber support service for individuals and organisations.

Australian Taxation Office

Contact the ATO if someone has stolen your personal or business identity. You must report all tax-related security issues to the ATO.

Australian Securities and Investments Commission

Contact ASIC to report financial misconduct, such as superannuation and crypto-asset scams. ASIC the national corporate regulator.

More information