The scams doing the rounds this month, what they look like when they reach you, and the one move that stops each. Share it with someone you care about.
Almost every scam below gives itself away the same way: it creates urgency and points you to a call, a link, or a payment. Slow down at that moment and you've already won.
1. The fake tech-support pop-up (and the call that follows)
A pop-up says your computer has a virus. A phone call says the same thing. Either way, the next step is the same: "let us connect remotely to fix it."
Do not restart or shut down your device. Call Microsoft Support now on 1800 000 000 to remove the threat.
The giveaway: Real companies never call you unprompted about a virus, and no legitimate warning ever gives you a phone number to ring. This is now one of the costliest scams in Australia - remote access scams cost Australians $69.9 million in 2025, and people 65 and over lost more than any other age group, accounting for more than a third of the total.
What to do: Don't call the number. Don't let anyone you didn't contact first take control of your computer. If you're not sure a call is real, hang up and contact the company yourself using a number you already trust.
2. The fake energy bill - "pay now or we cut you off"
An email or letter looks exactly like a real electricity or gas bill - logo, account number, due date - but says you'll be disconnected within hours unless you pay immediately, often by gift card or bank transfer to an unfamiliar account.
The giveaway: Real energy retailers in Australia are required by law to give written notice and follow a formal process before disconnecting anyone. A same-day disconnection threat is the tell. So is any request to pay by gift card.
What to do: Don't pay on the spot. Call your retailer on the number from a previous genuine bill, not a number in the suspicious one.
Also worth a mention this month: a fake Medicare/Centrelink email (not the text-message version we covered in June) has reportedly reached over 270,000 inboxes, asking people to "view a new message" by logging in - it's a fake myGov login page. Same rule applies: go to my.gov.au yourself, never through a link.
This month's takeaway: urgency + a call, a link, or a payment = stop and check. Genuine organisations are always happy for you to hang up and call them back.
Not sure about something that's landed on your phone? You don't have to work it out alone - give us a call, or run through our Online Safety Checklist any time.
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