Guide
What to do if you've been scammed in Australia
In the first hour after a scam, what you do next matters far more than how it happened.
Updated 6 July 20268 min readBy AngusPart of Online safety tips
If you are trying to work out what to do if you've been scammed, take a breath first, because acting quickly and calmly in the first hour makes a real difference to how much you can limit the damage. Being scammed is not a sign you were careless. Modern scams are convincing and are designed to rush you, and they catch careful people every day.
This guide is the calm, ordered list of what to do right now, written for Australia. Work down it from the top. The early steps are the most time-sensitive, so do them first and worry about the rest afterwards.
1. Stop, and do not send any more money
The first move is to stop. Scammers rely on urgency and will often push for one more payment, a fee to release your funds, or a code to fix the problem. None of that helps you. Do not send another cent, share another code, or grant any more remote access, no matter how convincing or urgent the pressure feels.
2. Contact your bank straight away
If any money moved, or a scammer has your card or banking details, phoning your bank is the single most time-critical thing you can do. Acting fast gives the bank the best chance of stopping a transfer, recalling a payment, or blocking a card before more is taken.
- Call the number on the back of your card or in your banking app, not a number from the scam message.
- Tell them clearly that you have been scammed and what happened.
- Ask them to stop or reverse any payments and to secure or reissue affected cards and accounts.
Good to know
- Australian banks have dedicated fraud teams available at all hours, so do not wait for morning.
- If your money went via a gift card, crypto or an overseas transfer, still call, some can occasionally be stopped, and the report matters either way.
3. Secure your accounts
If the scammer may have any of your passwords or logins, lock things down from a device you trust. Change your email password first, because email can reset almost every other account you own, then change other important passwords and turn on two-factor authentication.
- From a safe device, change your email password, then banking and any shared passwords.
- Turn on two-factor authentication everywhere it is offered.
- In each account's security settings, sign out all other devices.
4. If personal details were exposed, call IDCARE
If you shared identity details such as your licence, Medicare, passport or tax file number, IDCARE can help. It is Australia and New Zealand's free national identity and cyber support service, and it will build you a specific plan to limit identity theft. Call IDCARE on 1800 595 160. The service is free.
5. Report the scam
Reporting will not usually get your money back on its own, but it helps authorities warn others and track the scammers, and it creates a record you may need.
- Report to Scamwatch, run by the National Anti-Scam Centre, at scamwatch.gov.au.
- If it involved hacking, a device, or online accounts, also report to ReportCyber at cyber.gov.au.
- Keep the scam messages, receipts and any reference numbers as evidence.
6. Watch out for a second hit
People who have just been scammed are often targeted again by a follow-up recovery scam: someone contacts you claiming they can get your lost money back, for a fee. Treat any such offer as a scam. No legitimate service, and no government agency, asks for an upfront payment to recover scammed funds.
7. Be kind to yourself, and tell someone
Scams are designed by professionals to deceive, and being caught by one is not your fault. Telling a trusted family member or friend helps you think clearly and stay safe from follow-up attempts. If it has hit you hard, support is available, you can call Lifeline any time on 13 11 14.