Real losses, names changed
Stories of scams
The same scripts keep playing out across Australia. These stories are anonymised composites based on patterns consistently reported to Scamwatch and the National Anti-Scam Centre — names, places and amounts are changed. They exist to teach you the script, so you can spot it before it plays out on you.
3 min read
The voice on the phone sounded just like her son
A call from 'her son' in jail needing $4,000 for bail. The voice was perfect — because it wasn't her son at all.
AI voice-cloning · family emergency
3 min read
The tradie who kept finding 'urgent' problems
He knocked on the door, pointed at the roof, and quoted $6,000. By the time he left, the job was a $40,000 nightmare.
In-person · doorstep tradie scam
4 min read
The investment platform that looked completely real
A famous face in a video ad, a slick trading dashboard, and 'profits' that kept growing — until the day they tried to withdraw.
Investment · deepfake celebrity ad
3 min read
The parcel text that took everything
A 'missed delivery' text, a link, a $2.95 redelivery fee — and 20 minutes later, her bank account was drained.
Text/SMS phishing
If a story reminds you of something that has happened to you or someone you know, report it — Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) for consumer scams, ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au) for cybercrime. Every report helps stop the next one.