Recognise scams

Scammers try to mislead you into handing over money or your personal information.

Signs of a scam

There are many types of scams and new types appear all the time. It can be hard to tell if something is a scam.

Some common warning signs are:

  • you get an unexpected email, text, phone call or social media message
  • there’s a deadline or sense of urgency
  • there’s a promise of financial benefit or a threat of fines, debts or jail.

You can learn about types of scams on the Scamwatch website.

Government scams

Many scams pretend to represent government, including myGov scams.

There is information about common government scams. These links will take you away from myGov.

Be on high alert if your personal information has been exposed

If a scammer already knows something about you, they can be very convincing. If your details were exposed in a data breach, they may even pretend to be contacting you about the breach.

Tips to protect yourself

To protect yourself from scams:

  • stop and think logically about all urgent requests for money or personal information
  • seek trusted, independent advice before acting
  • don’t click on links in text messages
  • don’t give anyone remote access to your computer
  • be wary of opportunities that appear too good to be true.

To check if communication from an organisation is genuine:

  • independently search the internet for official websites or contact phone numbers
  • use secure online portals or apps where available
  • call back on a phone number found on a previously issued document such as a bill.

Find out more about how to protect yourself on the Scamwatch website.

Act quickly if you’ve been scammed

Find out how to recover from an online scam.

Help in more languages

Find out how to protect yourself from scams in your language on the Scamwatch website.

Page last updated: 1 March 2024