What to Do If You Get Scammed Online

The digital world can be a jungle full of snakes, spiders and umm.. what’s that in the tree? Ugh! It’s a scammer!!! Run!! 

Don’t worry, unlike a snake or spider bite, you won’t need to be rushed to hospital. Whether you clicked on a link you thought was from your bank, opened a phishing email, or bought something online that never came, here’s the procedure on how to deal when you’ve been scammed.  
 

If you sent them money…

• Stop all communication with the scammer. 

• Immediately report the scam to your bank or financial institution. They’ll prevent any further transactions. 

• You can complete a report to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) through ReportCyber. 

• Report the scam account to the social media or other platform they used to engage with you. 

If a scammer has your personal information…

For example, if your personal details (like name, phone, email, address, identity documents) have been leaked in a data breach. Here's what to do: 

• First things first - Change your password for everything and make them strong and unique. We’re talking symbols up the wazoo. Think your social media, your banks, your superannuation, your emails… etc. Just don’t forget your new passwords! 

• Contact your financial institution to secure your financial accounts. 

• The online resource idcare.org can give you advice on your situation through their Get Help Form. 

• Contact any services that use your personal identity documents (e.g. ATO or Services Australia) to secure your accounts. 

• You can even contact a credit reporting agency to see if any attempts to open accounts in your name have been made. More info on how to select an agency can be found here - IDCARE or you can give them a call on 1800 595 160 (Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm).  

• Be vigilant about suss emails, phone calls, texts or messages through social media. Block or don't answer anyone you don't know. Don't click on any links. Be super suspect of links from unexpected sources – and where you can, check where the link is taking you by hovering with your mouse (on a computer) or by long pressing on your phone. If the website isn’t what you expect, don’t click or open the link. Also, don’t click any link in an email or text message that asks you to sign in, update or validate your details. 

• Keep a close watch on your bank account for any unauthorised transactions. 
   

Who should I be contacting?

We’ve mentioned a few resources, but here’s a definitive list for easy access. 

Contact these organisations right away: 

• Your bank: If you’ve sent money to a scammer, your bank can close/lock your account or stop a transaction. Make sure you contact the bank directly using the number on their website. 

• ASD's ACSC ReportCyber: Report cybercrimes, security incidents and abuse here. They also have a hotline 24/7 on 1300 CYBER1 (1300 292 371) to point you in the right direction of what to do next.  

• Services Australia: Services Australia can provide support if you’ve opened links in fake messages or sent personal details to someone pretending to be from myGov, Medicare or Centrelink. 

• IDCARE: Call IDCARE if your information is at risk from a data breach. They’re a national identity and cyber support service for individuals and organisations. 

• Australian Taxation Office: If someone has stolen your personal or business identity, this is who you contact.  

• Australian Securities and Investments Commission: Contact ASIC to report financial misconduct, such as superannuation and crypto-asset scams.  

Remember to stay calm. There are tonnes of resources and people here to help you. Don’t be embarrassed either! Scammers can be insanely deceptive and convincing these days.  

If you want any more advice on all things money, we partnered with Westpac to create the FinFirst academy. Suss it out here to get money literate.  

The following content has been created by Year 13 and is sponsored by Westpac.