Beware impersonation scams

An impersonation scam is where scammers pretend to be trusted businesses, government officials, charities, celebrities, law enforcement or even friends or family to steal your money or personal information.

Methods of impersonation

Scammers can reach you on all mediums, as they:

• use technology to make their calls appear to come from a legitimate phone number
• make their texts appear in the same conversation thread as genuine messages from an organisation
• clone legitimate organisations’ websites to make fake websites look real
• send emails with fake sender addresses which appear to come from trusted sources
• set up social media profiles using another person or organisation’s details and images
• forge documents to make you think you’re dealing with a real person or business
• may know some information about you and use this to convince you they’re legitimate.

Be wary if:

• you receive a message asking you to click on a link that takes you to a webpage where it asks for your username, password, or personal information
• you’re asked to provide personal details or money urgently
• you’re asked to transfer money to an account to ‘keep it safe’ or for ‘further investigation’
• an organisation you think is real tells you there’s been an unauthorised transaction or asks you to confirm a payment that you didn’t make
• a business asks you to use a different bank account and BSB from the last payment you made with them
• you’re contacted by someone saying they’re from a government department and they threaten you with immediate arrest, deportation, or ask you to pay money
• a sale, investment or job offer looks too good to be true.

How to avoid impersonation scams

Never automatically assume the person you are dealing with is who they say they are.

Don’t click on links in suspicious text messages or download any attachments or apps if instructed as these can install malicious software on your computer or phone giving access to your personal information, data, and accounts.

Immediately cut contact with anyone who tries to threaten or intimidate you.

Verify who you’re dealing with by:

• contacting the person or organisation directly using contact details you’ve found yourself on the organisation’s official website
• accessing the organisations’ secure, authenticated portal or app (never via a link)
• searching the name of the organisation online together with the word ‘scam’
• checking the correct registration details of organisations through registers such as the Moneysmart financial advisers register and the Australian charity register for charities.

If someone you know sends a message saying they have a new phone number, try to call them on the existing number you have for them. You could message them on the new number with a question only they would know the answer to, so that way you’ll know if they are who they say they are.

If you’ve responded to a scam

Contact your bank or card provider immediately to report the scam. Ask them to stop any transactions.

Contact IDCARE. They can help you make a plan (for free) to limit the damage. Call them on 1800 595 160 or visit idcare.org to find out more.

If a scam is causing you problems with debt talk to a financial counsellor. Moneysmart provides a list of free and confidential services to help you get your finances back on track.

Being scammed is a horrible experience and it can happen to anyone. If you need someone to talk to, reach out to family and friends or contact Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636).

Report scams

Please report scams to the National Anti-Scam Centre via Scamwatch.gov.au. You can make a report anonymously or on behalf of another person.

It’s also a good idea to report scams to the digital platform where they were encountered to assist with having the offending content removed.

Advice for business

Scammers often impersonate well-known businesses and brands by creating fake websites, publishing fake ads and sending fake communications that look just like the real thing. Impersonation scams can cause your business to suffer reputational damage or loss of revenue, not to mention the financial and emotional toll they can have on your customers.

If your business has been caught up in an impersonation scam see Scamwatch’s guidance for dealing with impersonation scams.