Protect yourself from scams
Scams often start from a phone call, email, social media or SMS – it’s important to learn how to identify common scams and what you can do to protect yourself.
Scams cost Australian consumers, businesses and the economy hundreds of millions of dollars each year and cause serious personal and emotional harm to victims and their families.
In 2023, combined scam losses reported to Scamwatch, banks and other government agencies amounted to $4 billion, up from over $3.1 billion in 2022. One third of victims do not report scams, so actual losses would have been well above this.
How to protect yourself from scams
Common scams
PayID scams
PayID scams occur when fake or compromised social media profiles are used to convince buyers to use PayID.
Impersonation scams
These happen when scammers impersonate trusted identities to steal your money or personal information. We will never ask you to click on a link in an SMS to login to e-banking.
Money mule scams
A money mule refers to a person who receives illegally obtained money from someone into their account, then transfers it to another person or account.
Investment scams
Investment scams can occur when someone contacts you out of nowhere, either via phone or email. They include offers to make easy money with little or no risk.
Remote access scams
A scammer can contact you via phone, text, or email claiming to be from a company you may be familiar with in an attempt to convince you to give them access to your computer remotely. Never agree to provide a caller with remote access to your computer or phone.
Suspicious SMS scams
Messages that might include a link to direct you to a fraudulent website or ask you for your personal information or from someone pretending to be a family member who needs money.
Online shopping scams
Online shopping scams will pose as a buyer or seller and attempt to trick you into making a payment to them.
Romance scams
Romance scammers will use their fake profile to try and steal your heart in order to obtain money or personal information.
Business email compromise
Scammers can intercept emails. Learn what to look out for and how to protect your business.
Cold calling scams
This is when scammers call customers and appear to have previous knowledge of the customer, usually based on falsified information. Sometimes an SMS is even sent prior to the call to try to establish extra credibility.
Sextortion
This is a form of online blackmail.
3 steps to remember
-
Stop - don't give money or personal information to anyone if you're unsure.
-
Think - ask yourself, could the message or call be a fake?
-
Protect - act quickly if something feels wrong.
Contact us
Phone
If you have clicked on any suspicious links and entered your e-banking details:
Call 1300 236 344 (in Australia) or +61 3 5445 0666 (from overseas - standard international call charges apply)
Monday to Friday - 8am to 9pm AEST/AEDT*
Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and some public holidays - 9am to 8pm AEST/AEDT
*Excludes Christmas Day
SMS
If you have received a suspicious SMS message claiming to be from us, you can forward it to 0429 557 997 for investigation.
Please note you will not receive a personal response from 0429 557 997.
If you have received any suspicious emails, you can forward them to us via email.
Please note you will not receive a personal email response from us.
