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What are scams and cybercrime?
Scams and cybercrime are growing online threats that affect thousands of Australians each year. These crimes involve deceptive tactics designed to trick you into giving away money, personal information, or access to your devices and accounts.
Cybercrime includes any criminal activity such as identity theft, online fraud, and image-based abuse, carried out using computers, mobile devices, or networks. Scams, often delivered via email, SMS, phone or social media, can appear very convincing and are designed to pressure or mislead you.
This page explains how to:
- Recognise a scam or cybercrime
- Report it to the right authority
- Get support if you’ve been affected
How to report cybercrime
ReportCyber
You can report online crimes such as:
- Identity theft and online fraud
- Cyberbullying, online stalking or harassment
- Abuse involving private or intimate images
- Scams involving fake investments or romance
- Hacked or affected computers and accounts
ReportCyber
Report a cybercrime with ReportCyber
What to do if you’ve been scammed
If you’ve been affected:
- Stop all contact with the scammer
- Block, ignore or mute them on your devices or accounts
- Update your privacy settings on social media and online accounts
- Change passwords on accounts that may have been affected
Reach out for support through the services listed below
Get help and information from trusted services
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ScamWatch: Gives advice on how to avoid scams and lets you report them.
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eSafety: Helps remove harmful content and supports people affected by online abuse.
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IDCARE: Helps people affected by identity theft or data breaches. Call 1800 595 160.
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Australian Financial Complaints Authority: Helps resolve complaints about banks and financial products.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria: Provides advice if you have issues with online purchases or sellers.
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Australian Competition and Consumer Commission: Explains your consumer rights and where to get help in your state.
Scam alerts from key organisations
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Australian Taxation Office (ATO): Check and report tax scams.
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Commonwealth Bank (CBA): The latest bank scam alerts.
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Telstra: Phone and internet scam alerts.
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Services Australia (Centrelink, Medicare, myGov): Current scams and reporting.
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Australia Post: Mail and delivery scams.
Financial support after a scam
If you have been a victim of a crime, you may be eligible for support. Visit the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) to find out what help is available.
Scam prevention tips
1. Take a moment before you click
If a message feels urgent or suspicious, stop and check it through official channels or double check the request with a trusted loved one
2. Keep personal information private
Never share banking details, passwords or personal info by text, email or social media. Legitimate organisations won’t ask this way.
3. Protect your accounts
Use strong passwords and turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) to add extra security to your logins.
4. Be vigilant
If in doubt call or connect with the service provider using their official phone number listed on their websites (don’t use the links inside the scam emails), before making any decision
Stay informed and share what you know
The more people who understand how scams work, the harder it is for scammers to succeed. Share this information with friends, family and your community.
