What's happening
Criminals are pretending to be Australian Federal Police (AFP) and other police officers and creating fake ReportCyber reports using people’s names and emails. Scammers are using these fake reports to deceive victims into sending them funds from their cryptocurrency accounts or to share seed phrases (this is the secret phrase used to access cryptocurrency wallets).
Who's at risk
People who own cryptocurrency, particularly people who know or suspect they have been involved in a data breach.
What this might look like
The scammer calls and says they are from the AFP (or another state or territory police agency) and tells you that you’ve been identified in a data breach related to cryptocurrency and finance. The scammer claims a cybercrime report has been submitted through ReportCyber or the AFP’s Report a Commonwealth Crime form in your name or using your email.
The scammer would have already submitted a false ReportCyber report using your personal information, which is likely to have been taken from a previous data breach. They provide an official reference number (CIRS) which makes the report sound valid, or they ask you to verify the one-time PIN (OTP) you’ve received in an email from ReportCyber. The scammers ask you to confirm the report by checking your email and visiting the ReportCyber portal.
You are then contacted by a second scammer claiming to represent the cryptocurrency platform. They too will provide the same reference number (CIRS) to confirm legitimacy. They will ask for your seed phrase or ask you transfer money from your platform or wallet to another account to secure it. This other account is also called a ‘cold storage’ account.
Warning signs to look out for
- Calls from law enforcement including calls from the AFP or local police officers
- Emails from ReportCyber or the AFP about cybercrime reports submitted by you or on your behalf
- Requests to provide a one-time PIN or to verify an email from ReportCyber
- Requests to transfer cryptocurrency to secure it.
If you've been affected
- If you’ve had cryptocurrency or personal information stolen, contact your digital currency exchange provider immediately.
- If you’ve been scammed or have provided personal information, call IDCARE on 1800 595 160.
- Report the scam to police at www.cyber.gov.au and include the false ReportCyber CIRS number in the report.
- Help others by reporting to Scamwatch.
Stay protected
- Stop - Never provide your One-Time-Pin to anyone over the phone or via email. Don’t transfer funds out of your digital currency exchange account in response to one of these calls or provide any information about your account or wallet.
- Check - Scammers pretend to be from organisations you know and trust. Check who you’re really communicating with by calling the organisation back using details you find yourself on their official website or app.
- Protect - If you’ve given any personal information or transferred cryptocurrency to someone you suspect is a scammer, act quickly. See more about what to do if you’ve been scammed and what steps you can follow.
