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. "Your bank's fraud team" - and the request to move your money
A caller says they're from your bank's fraud department, your account has been compromised, and you need to transfer your money to a "safe account" right now.
The giveaway: No bank in Australia works this way. If your account is genuinely compromised, the bank locks it down at their end - you never move funds anywhere yourself. Any request for a code, a password, or a transfer to a "safe account" is the scam, no matter how convincing the caller sounds.
What to do: Hang up. Call your bank back on the number printed on your card, never a number the caller gives you.
2. The romance scam's 48-hour rush
An online relationship, sometimes going for weeks, suddenly turns urgent: a "crisis" that only money can fix, and a request to send it within 48 hours.
The giveaway: Romance scams cost Australians almost $140 million in 2025 - the third most costly scam type nationally - and a tight, manufactured deadline is one of the clearest tells. Genuine relationships don't run on a 48-hour financial emergency.
What to do: Never send money to someone you haven't met in person. Talk to family or a friend before you transfer anything - a scammer's whole plan depends on you not doing that.
This month's takeaway: urgency + a call, a link, or a payment = stop and check. A genuine crisis can wait for you to make one phone call to someone you trust.
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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