Scams aren’t new, but the way they show up in our lives keeps evolving. According to Scamwatch, Australians reported 200,675 scams in 2025, with losses totalling around $334 million*. The most financially damaging scams were investment scams, phishing scams and romance scams, with scammers most commonly reaching people via email, online platforms and phone calls.
Perhaps most concerning is who’s being impacted. While anyone can be targeted, Australians aged 65 and over were the hardest hit, followed closely by people aged 45 to 64, groups who often have more savings, super, or assets at stake.
So, if more people are aware of scams, how are they still working?
Most modern scams don’t rely on bad spelling or dodgy-looking emails anymore. They rely on pressure, familiarity and emotional triggers.
Scammers are getting better at:
- Mimicking real organisations and people
- Timing contact when you’re busy, stressed or distracted
- Creating scenarios that feel urgent but believable
- Exploiting politeness, fear of embarrassment or desire to help
In other words, scams succeed not always because people are careless, but because scammers are excellent manipulators of human behaviour. Understanding that is the first step to protecting yourself.
The most common scams Australians lost money to in 2025
- Investment scams
These continue to be the largest cause of financial loss. They often:
- Promise unusually consistent or “low-risk” returns
- Use fake celebrity endorsements, including AI generated images, videos or voice clips, alongside professional-looking websites to appear legitimate
- Start through social media, search ads or investment groups
- Gradually build trust before asking for larger amounts
Many victims don’t realise they’ve been scammed until months later, often after trying to withdraw funds.
- Phishing scams
Phishing has moved beyond poorly written emails with pixelated logos and now commonly appeared as:
- Emails or texts that perfectly mirror banks, delivery companies or government organisations
- Messages referencing real purchases, subscriptions or personal details
- “Account security” alerts designed to cause panic
These scams work because they blend seamlessly into everyday digital noise and can even appear within legitimate message threads from your bank, Australia post or another service provider.
- Romance scams
Romance scams remain deeply damaging both financially and emotionally. They often:
- Begin on dating apps or social media
- Progress slowly, building emotional dependence
- Involve stories about emergencies, investments or being unable to meet in person
- Escalate requests for money over time
These scams don’t feel like scams, they feel like a real person and a real relationship.
How to protect yourself from scams
You’ve probably heard the same scam advice countless times – create a unique login for each account, use longer and more complex passwords, enable 2-factor authentication, never share your personal information or login details, avoid clicking on suspicious links and be cautious of unsolicited calls, emails and texts.
While this advice can seem obvious and feel repetitive, these tips are repeated for a reason. A significant number of successful scams still happen because one of these crucial things wasn’t in place. If you’re not doing all the above consistently, start there as they remain your first line of defence.
However, even with strong habits and good awareness, no one is completely immune to scams. That’s because modern scams don’t just rely on weak security, they rely on human behaviour. Once the fundamentals are covered, protecting yourself becomes less about spotting fake messages and more about changing how you respond when contacted.
- Shift from “Is this real?” to “Why now?”
Instead of immediately trying to confirm whether a message or phone call is legitimate, instead ask yourself - why am I being contacted right now? Why the urgency? Why am I being pushed to act before I’ve had time to think?
Urgency is one of the strongest predictors of a scam. Whether it’s a frozen account, unusual activity that needs to be actioned right away, a limited-time investment, or an emotional plea, immediate pressure is rarely something that will occur with legitimate organisations.
- Separate emotion from action
Scammers are experts at triggering emotion, and fear, excitement, guilt, embarrassment and even affection are all powerful tools they will use against you.
A simple rule that can help to protect against many scams is to never make a financial decision while emotionally charged. If a message or a phone call has made you feel panicked or rushed, step away.
- Use a “second channel” to verify
Rather than clicking links, replying to messages or calling a phone number provided in the email, message or phone call you received and are unsure about, contact the organisation directly. Use a trusted method you already know such as the phone number on your bank card, a previous bill or an official website. Never rely on contact details included in the message itself.
- Treat unexpected good news with caution
We’re conditioned to be suspicious of bad news, but scammers increasingly rely on positive surprises such as unexpected refunds, prizes and investment opportunities to play on your excitement and rush you into providing personal details. If you weren’t expecting the news, slow down and double-check whether it could be real before reacting.
- Make “checking with someone” normal
Scams often succeed because people feel embarrassed or don’t want to bother others.
Whether it’s a partner, a family member or a trusted friend, getting a second opinion can break the momentum scammers rely on. There’s no shame in getting a second opinion and it’s far easier than fixing the damage later on that a scammer can cause.
- Put safety measures around big decisions
Rather than relying solely on scam detection, limit the potential impact of a scam with a few safeguards such as:
- Setting daily transfer limits
- Adding extra verification for large transactions
- Delaying big financial decisions by 24 hours
- Keeping long-term savings in accounts that aren’t instantly accessible
Protecting yourself against scams isn’t about memorising more rules or living in fear. It’s about slowing down, questioning the urgency, separating emotion from actions and giving yourself the space to assess before making a decision.
This information provides general advice only. We do not provide advice based on any consideration of your personal objectives, needs or circumstances. *Statistics correct at time of publication.
