Scamwatch is run by the National Anti-Scam Centre to collect reports about scams to help us warn others and to take action to stop scams. We also provide up-to-date information to help you spot and avoid scams.
Scam reports help the National Anti-Scam Centre make Australia a harder target for scammers and protect people from becoming victims in the future.
The National Anti-Scam Centre works across government and the private sector to protect Australians from scams.
The National-Anti Scam Centre:
By reporting scams you help protect others and assist us to disrupt and stop scammers – 30% of scams currently go unreported.
The information you give us when you make a report helps the National Anti-Scam Centre to identify the scams that are causing the most harm to Australians.
We use the information to understand how scammers work, who they harm and to disrupt and stop them. We also share information with law enforcement and other regulators here and overseas to help them investigate and prosecute scammers.
Several government agencies currently have a role in preventing scams, each with a different focus. The National Anti-Scam Centre helps coordinate these efforts.
We work together with government, industry, other regulators, law enforcement bodies and community organisations to make it more difficult to scam Australians.
Our first fusion cell is combatting the growing problem of investment scams, which are costing Australians more than $1 billion a year.
Your report helps us monitor scam trends and take action where appropriate, including to educate the public on new or emerging scams.
If a person contacts you out of the blue about your scam report, hang up and ask to call them back on their official number that you have looked up yourself. Ask them to verify your report or case number and don’t give your personal information.
To avoid being scammed, never give personal information to someone who calls, emails, or messages you out of the blue without being sure they are who they say they are.
When you report scams, you may be asked whether you agree to share your report. Some of the sharing arrangements we have in place are explained below. All entities we share with are required to comply with Australian Privacy Laws and where relevant privacy laws in other countries.
Your report will often include important information about scammers. This might include the name the scammer is using, the phone number or email address. You might report scam websites or scam ads or profiles on social media. We share this intelligence with other government agencies and law enforcement to investigate scammers or to stop them reaching people in Australia.
The Australian Financial Crimes Exchange (AFCX) is a not-for-profit organisation that provides a secure, strictly monitored portal for the public and private sectors to share financial crime data and intelligence.
Sharing reports with the AFCX assists banks and the financial sector to identify scam accounts and scam transactions and disrupt scams.
Businesses such as banks, telecommunications companies, social media platforms or employment sites may be unaware how their services are being used to perpetrate scams. They will often take action to try and prevent or disrupt scam activity once they are informed about it.
By sharing your report with the businesses that the scammers use, they can stop scams from impacting other people.
If you consent to share your report with businesses, we will only use or disclose your personal information for the purpose of preventing, detecting or disrupting scams. We only share information that may be useful in helping businesses work out how the scam occurred and how to prevent it in the future.
With your consent, we may refer your report to a support service. If you are at risk of identity misuse or need support to recover from the impact of some scams, we may refer your report to IDCARE.
Real life stories have a powerful impact on others. They help people see that scams can happen to anyone and provide useful information about how others can protect themselves.
If you share your report anonymously to warn others about scams, we may use information in your report in our reports or campaigns. For example, we might write about your experience in a case study. If we do this, we make sure that you can't be identified.