Email & Messages · beginner · 8 min
Smishing & Vishing: Texts and Calls
Fake parcel texts, toll notices, and bank calls — the phone-based scams hitting Australian phones daily, and how to shut them down.
- Recognise smishing patterns in delivery and toll texts
- Handle vishing calls without getting hooked
- Know where to report and forward scam texts
The text that came from nowhere
Smishing (SMS phishing) texts are the most common scam on Australian phones. The cast is familiar: AusPost with a parcel, Linkt with a toll bill, your bank with a "suspicious login". They carry a link that leads to a fake login page or a malware download.
Spot them fast
- You weren't expecting the delivery, toll, or alert
- The sender number is a random mobile, not the org's known shortcode
- The link is a messy URL, not the official site
- It demands action now
Vishing (voice phishing)
Calls from "your bank" — often spoofing a real number — warning of fraud, then asking you to read out a code, confirm a transfer, or install remote-access software like AnyDesk. Your bank will never do that. If in doubt, hang up and call the number on the back of your card.
What to do
Don't reply, don't click, don't call back the number in the message. Delete it. If it impersonated a real business, report it to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam) — and forward spam texts to 0429 999 888 (the ACMA's report line). Then tell the actual organisation via their real app or website, so they know the scam is active.