Stop. Check. Call.
A plain-English guide to not getting scammed — for older people, people with disability, and the families who look out for them.
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A plain-English guide to not getting scammed — for older people, people with disability, and the families who look out for them.
Choose the one closest to your situation. You will get a short answer straight away, and a link to more detail if you want it.
If it is happening right now — three stepsRead the whole guide
Start here if it is happening right now
If you feel unsafe, call 000. And if you are simply having a read — most people are — then nothing here needs doing today. Take your time with it.
Hang up. Then ring your bank on the number printed on your bank card.
More on the safe account call and other common scamsBack to the questions
Do not tap the link. Go to the organisation yourself instead.
More on government and myGov impersonationBack to the questions
Say no and end the call. Never install software because a caller asked you to.
More on remote access and computer support scamsBack to the questions
Hang up or stop replying, and ring that person on the number you already have.
Do not send it — however long you have been talking, and however real it feels.
More on romance and companionship scamsBack to the questions
Move no money until you have checked the company yourself on moneysmart.gov.au.
Do not pay on the doorstep and do not sign anything today.
More on tradies, door-knockers and charitiesBack to the questions
That on its own is enough. It is a scam.
More on how scammers cut you off from your peopleBack to the questions
Stop, and tell your bank the truth instead.
More on the isolation tactics, one by oneBack to the questions
That is a tactic, and a well-worn one. Ring your family today.
More on they turn your family into the suspectsBack to the questions
Stop. No genuine organisation in Australia accepts payment this way.
Say you will ring back tomorrow, then hang up.
Say no, and ring your bank today.
Trust that. Stop where you are and check with a person.
Ring your bank right now on the number on your card — day or night.
More on the full first-hour checklist and where to reportBack to the questions
Do not lead with “that’s a scam.” Lead with a question.
Scams are not about being gullible. They are about being human.
The people who lose the most money are usually careful, capable and intelligent. Retired accountants get scammed. Former police get scammed. The criminals doing this are organised, well-funded, and running a script that has been tested on thousands of people before it reaches you.
So this guide does not say "be more careful." It gives you a small number of rules that work even when you are frightened, rushed, or being told a very convincing story.
This is the part most guides leave out, and it is the part that matters most.
A scammer's biggest danger is not the police. It is your daughter walking into the kitchen and asking who you are talking to. So before they ask for money, they work on separating you from everyone who might interrupt. Here is exactly how they do it.
The story always comes with a reason not to tell anyone. It is a confidential police operation. It is an investment opportunity that closes today. It is a private matter between the two of you.
"You cannot discuss this with anyone. The investigation depends on it."
Secrecy is not a detail of the story. Secrecy is the scam. It is what keeps you away from the one thing that would end it — a second opinion.
If they cannot stop you talking to your family, they will poison the well first. A common one: your money is being moved by someone with access to your accounts, and they cannot rule out a family member yet.
"We have not been able to eliminate your son from the investigation. Please do not mention this to him."
Now every warning your son gives you sounds like guilt. The scammer has made your best protection look like the threat.
Banks now ask questions and delay unusual payments. So the scammer gets in first and gives you a cover story to use at the counter or on the phone.
"If the bank asks, tell them it is for home renovations. Say it is for a car. Do not mention us — bank staff are part of what we are investigating."
This is the single clearest sign you are being scammed. If someone has told you what to say to your own bank, stop right there and tell the bank the truth instead. Bank staff will not be angry with you. They deal with this every week and they are on your side.
They will keep you on the phone while you drive to the branch, while you queue, sometimes with an earpiece in. They will ask you to stay on the call so they can "support" you. What they are really doing is making sure nobody gets a private word with you.
If someone wants to stay on the phone while you move money, that call needs to end.
The account closes at 5pm. The warrant is issued tomorrow. The shares are gone by the end of the day. The fine doubles tonight.
Urgency exists to stop you thinking and to stop you asking anyone. Real organisations write to you. Real deadlines survive a phone call to your son tomorrow morning.
In romance and friendship scams this takes weeks or months. Many messages a day. Remembering your late husband's name. Ringing when you are lonely at night. Slowly they become the person you talk to most — and then the person who is closest to you is the criminal.
"Your family have never understood you the way I do."
When you finally mention them to your family and your family is uneasy, the scammer has already prepared you: your family is jealous, controlling, or after your money.
Ask a sensible question and suddenly you are the one who has done something wrong.
"After everything I have told you, you still do not trust me?"
Real people do not punish you for checking. If asking a reasonable question makes someone angry, hurt or cold, that reaction is information. Trust it.
The first payment is often modest and sometimes even pays out — a small "investment return", a screen showing your profits going up. That first success buys your confidence and your silence. Then the amounts climb, and the more you have put in, the harder it becomes to admit something is wrong. That feeling is being used against you.
Money already lost is lost. Never send more to protect what you have already sent.
Sophisticated scammers inoculate you in advance: the bank may query this, a family member may not understand, the staff may try to talk you out of it. When it happens exactly as predicted, it feels like proof they were telling the truth.
It is not proof. It is the trap closing. Being warned in advance that people will doubt this is itself a warning sign.
Once money is gone, embarrassment does the scammer's work for them. People wait days or weeks before telling anyone, and those are exactly the days when the money could have been chased.
Then a second crew rings — sometimes the same one — offering to recover your money for a fee, or pretending to be a lawyer or a government recovery office. Victims are targeted again precisely because they are desperate and ashamed. Nobody legitimate charges you an upfront fee to get scammed money back.
Every tactic above depends on one thing: you not talking to anyone. So you only need one habit to break all of them.
Before any money moves, you say it out loud to one other human being. Not for permission. Just say it. "I am about to send $4,000 to an account the bank rang me about." Hearing yourself say it is often enough.
You do not need to memorise these. They all end the same way — money moving somewhere new, urgently, quietly. But knowing the shapes helps you spot one early.
Someone from your bank's fraud team, or the police, or a government investigator, tells you your account has been compromised — sometimes that a staff member at your own branch is involved. To protect your savings, you need to move them to a new "safe account" they will set up for you.
Truth: no bank, police force or government agency will ever move your money to a new account for safekeeping, or ask you to do it. The moment you hear "safe account", you are talking to a criminal. Hang up.
A call or a pop-up says your computer is infected, your internet is being used for crime, or you are owed a refund. They ask you to install a program so they can help — AnyDesk, TeamViewer, or something you have never heard of. Once it is installed they can see your screen, watch you type your passwords, and open your banking.
Truth: never install software because a caller asked you to, and never let anyone you did not phone take control of your screen. Telstra, NBN, Microsoft, your bank and Services Australia do not do this.
The biggest losses by far. It arrives as a polished website, a slick app, a "portfolio manager" who rings you weekly, a fake news article, or a social media ad using a well-known Australian's face without permission. Returns look steady and good. You can log in and watch your balance rise. Small withdrawals may even work at first.
Then withdrawing is blocked until you pay a tax, a fee or a release charge. That money is gone too.
Truth: check the company on ASIC's list of licensed firms and its warning list of companies to avoid at moneysmart.gov.au before, not after. Anyone who cold-calls or messages you about an investment is not an adviser.
Weeks or months of daily contact, usually with someone who can never video call, is always overseas, and never quite manages to visit. Then comes a crisis: a hospital bill, customs holding a shipment, a business deal that needs one more payment. Often it moves into "let me help you invest" — romance and investment scams are now frequently the same crew.
Truth: if you have never met in person and money is involved, it is a scam. Reverse-search their photos and expect nothing to check out.
A text from a new number: their phone is broken, this is the new one, and they need money urgently for a bill. Or a phone call from a grandchild in tears — arrested, in hospital, in an accident, please do not tell Mum and Dad.
Voices can now be copied from a few seconds of a video posted online. A voice on the phone is no longer proof of who is speaking.
Truth: hang up and ring that person on the number you already have. Agree a family safe word today (see Part five) and ask for it.
Texts and emails about a Centrelink payment, a tax refund, a Medicare rebate, an unpaid toll, an undelivered parcel, or an energy rebate — all with a link that goes to a very convincing fake login page. Some are threatening: a warrant, a fine, arrest, deportation.
Truth: never use the link. Go to the real site yourself or ring the agency on a number you looked up. Government agencies do not threaten arrest by text and never demand payment in gift cards or crypto.
Someone at the door says your roof, driveway, gutters or trees need urgent work, offers a discount for cash today, and wants payment upfront. Or a real invoice from a real tradie arrives by email with the bank details quietly changed.
Truth: never pay on the doorstep. Check a licence at NSW Fair Trading. For any invoice, ring the business on their known number and confirm the bank details by voice before paying.
After bushfires, floods or a news story, fake appeals appear within days by phone, at the door, and on social media.
Truth: give directly through the charity's own website. Check it is registered at acnc.gov.au. Never donate in gift cards or crypto.
An invoice or email says your antivirus, cloud storage or streaming has auto-renewed for several hundred dollars. Ring this number to cancel. That call leads to remote access to your computer and your bank.
Truth: the invoice is the bait and the phone number is the trap. Check your own bank statement instead.
After a loss, someone contacts you claiming to be a lawyer, a fund recovery service, a government office, or a crypto tracing firm, and says they can get your money back for a fee or a "release payment".
Truth: everything in this guide's reporting section is free. Nobody legitimate charges an upfront fee to recover scammed money.
Any single one of these is reason enough to stop. Tick them as you read.
← The common scamsBack to the questionsPayment methods that mean stop →
Scammers need money that cannot be reversed. If you are being pushed towards any of these, the conversation is over.
Australian banks now run a name-check called Confirmation of Payee. When you pay a new account, your bank tells you whether the account name you typed matches the real name on that account.
If it says no match or partial match, stop. Do not proceed. Ring the person you meant to pay on a number you already had. Hundreds of thousands of Australians have abandoned payments at this exact screen — that warning is doing its job, so let it.
These take an afternoon. Do them once and they protect you for years. If you support someone else, do them together.
Pick a word no one could guess from social media — not a pet, a street or a birthday. Tell your children and grandchildren. The rule: any urgent request for money, from any voice on any number, needs the word. No word, no money. Write it down somewhere private, not in your phone contacts.
One person — a family member, a friend, a neighbour — who you ring before any payment over an amount you choose. Say $1,000, or whatever suits you. They do not control your money and they cannot veto anything. They just have to hear about it first.
Tell them now that you have picked them, so it is not awkward later. And tell them what you actually want from them: to listen, not to lecture.
Most online banking lets you set your own daily limit. Drop it to something realistic for your life. Raising it again takes a day and a conversation — which is exactly the delay a scammer cannot survive. Ask your branch to help you set it if you bank in person.
Ask your bank to text or email you whenever money leaves your account, and whenever your details change. Free, and you find out in minutes rather than at the next statement.
Never ring a number that came in the message. Ring the number on your bank card, your last paper statement, or the organisation's official website that you typed in yourself.
Write your bank's real fraud number on a card and keep it in your wallet next to your bank card. There is space for it on the fridge card at the end of this guide.
No software because someone rang you. No screen sharing with anyone who contacted you. And never read out a verification code — that code is the key to your account, and the only reason someone wants it is to get in.
Turn on two-factor authentication for your email and banking. Your email is the master key — if someone gets into it they can reset everything else. Use a different password there than anywhere else.
You are entitled to a free credit report. It shows loans or cards opened in your name. If you have ever had documents stolen, you can also request a credit ban so no new credit can be opened. IDCARE (in the table below) will walk you through it for free.
Register on the Do Not Call Register. Let unknown numbers go to voicemail — anyone real will leave a message. Tighten your Facebook settings so strangers cannot see your family, your birthday or your holidays.
Households where scams get discussed at the kitchen table lose far less money. Mention the ones you get. Show your grandkids the texts. Ordinary conversation is a genuine defence, because it makes secrecy feel strange instead of normal.
← Payment methods that mean stopBack to the questionsIf you are not sure →
Not sure is normal. Some of these are extremely convincing. Here is what to do with "not sure".
You do not need a reason, an excuse, or a polite exit. But if it helps to have words ready:
"I do not discuss money on incoming calls. I will ring the bank myself. Goodbye."
Then hang up while they are still talking. A real caller will not mind. A scammer will ring back, sometimes immediately, sometimes angrily — that is your answer.
One catch worth knowing: on an old landline, a scammer can sometimes hold the line open, so when you dial out you are still connected to them. If you can, use a mobile or a neighbour's phone to ring back — or wait five minutes and listen for a dial tone before dialling.
Do not click the link. Do not ring the number in it. Go to the organisation yourself — type the address in, use your banking app, or use a number from a statement. If it was real, it will be there when you log in.
← Set yourself upBack to the questionsIf it has already happened →
First, the thing that matters most: this is not your fault. You were targeted by organised criminals who do this for a living. The shame belongs entirely to them. Feeling stupid is the most common reaction and it is the one that costs people the most, because it delays the phone call that could still stop the money.
Speed matters, but it is worth acting even weeks later. Start at the top and work down.
Large losses hit people hard — sleep, appetite, confidence, and relationships with family who feel guilty or angry. That reaction is normal and it is worth taking seriously.
Lifeline 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 are both available around the clock, and both take calls about financial loss. You do not have to be in crisis to ring them.
← If you are not sureBack to the questionsWhere to report it →
All of these are free. You can use more than one — they do different jobs. Reporting does not always get money back, but it is how these operations get disrupted, and how warnings reach the next person.
| Your bank | Number on your card First call, always. 24 hours. Ask them to recall the payment. |
|---|---|
| Emergency | 000 If you are in immediate danger, or someone is at your door. |
| NSW Police (non-urgent) | 131 444 Police Assistance Line. Also for anything involving a person who came to your home. |
| Scamwatch | scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam Run by the National Anti-Scam Centre. Report even if you lost nothing — it helps them shut sites down. |
|---|---|
| ReportCyber | cyber.gov.au/report The police reporting channel for anything with an online element. You get a reference number, which other organisations will ask for. |
| IDCARE | 1800 595 160 Free national identity and cyber support service. They build you a personal response plan. Start here if in doubt. |
|---|---|
| Services Australia | 1800 941 126 Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk — for myGov, Centrelink and Medicare details. |
| Australian Taxation Office | 1800 467 033 Client Identity Support Centre — for your tax file number or ABN. |
| AFCA | 1800 931 678 Australian Financial Complaints Authority. Free, independent, and its decisions are binding on the bank. |
|---|---|
| National Debt Helpline | 1800 007 007 Free financial counsellors. Not a loan service and not a charity pitch. |
| Moneysmart | moneysmart.gov.au ASIC's site. Check whether a company is licensed, or on the warning list. |
| NSW Ageing and Disability Abuse Helpline | 1800 628 221 Weekdays. For abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of an older person or an adult with disability by someone they know. You can report anonymously. |
|---|---|
| National elder abuse line | 1800 353 374 1800 ELDERHelp — connects you to the service in your state. |
| Lifeline | 13 11 14 24 hours. |
|---|---|
| Beyond Blue | 1300 22 4636 24 hours. |
| Interpreter (TIS National) | 13 14 50 Ring this first, name your language, and ask to be connected to any number above. |
| National Relay Service | 133 677 If you are deaf or have difficulty hearing or speaking. |
← If it has already happenedBack to the questionsGetting your money back →
Be prepared for a hard road, but do not assume it is hopeless — and do not let anyone tell you it is over before you have used the free steps below.
Australia's new Scams Prevention Framework is being phased in through 2026 and 2027 and adds legal obligations for banks, telcos and social media platforms, with more of it starting each year. Rules and timings are still changing — so if a bank told you no in the past, it can be worth asking again.
What will not work: anyone who contacts you offering recovery for a fee. Every step above is free.
← Where to report itBack to the questionsFor family and carers →
Remember the scammer has probably already told them that family will try to interfere. If you come in hard, you confirm the story and you get shut out — and once you are shut out, you cannot help at all.
Adults have the right to make their own decisions about their own money, including decisions you think are wrong. But there are still things you can do.
← Getting your money backBack to the questionsThe fridge card →
Print this page, cut along the dashed line, and put it where the phone is. Fill in your own numbers.
If a call, text or message involves money — read this first.
My bank's real fraud number:
My money mate:
Our family safe word:
Scamwatch scamwatch.gov.au · IDCARE 1800 595 160 · Police 131 444 · Emergency 000 · Lifeline 13 11 14