Australians lost $2.2 billion to scams in 2025, and people aged 65 and over carried the biggest share of it. They make up around 17% of the population but accounted for 26.5% of losses reported to Scamwatch, roughly $88.8 million.
If your parents are online, they're a target. The good news is that a single honest conversation, plus 20 minutes of setup on their phone, closes off most of the common attacks. Here's how to do both.
Starting the conversation without it feeling like a lecture
Nobody wants to be told they’re the problem. These three conversation starters keep things collaborative.
- Lead with a news story. “Did you see that thing about the Hi Mum scam? Apparently it’s everywhere. What would you do if you received an SMS from someone claiming to be me asking for money?”
- Make it about you. “I got a dodgy text pretending to be my bank last week. Have you ever received anything like this and what do you do?”.
The four scams to cover
1. Bank impersonation texts and emails
The scam: A message that looks like it’s from their bank, the ATO, Australia Post or a toll company, often with an urgent link or a number to call.
Agree on one simple rule: never act on the message itself. Delete it, then contact the organisation using a number found independently, either from the back of a card or the official website.
2. “Hi Mum” and AI voice scams
The scam: A text from an unknown number claiming to be a child who has lost their phone and urgently needs money. Increasingly, scammers are using AI to clone a family member’s voice.
The defence is a whole family affair: create a family safe word. Any urgent request for money should be verified using the safe word and a call back to the person’s usual number.
3. Remote access and tech support scams
The scam: A pop-up claiming a computer is infected, or an unsolicited call from “Microsoft”, “Telstra” or an internet provider offering to fix a problem.
The rule is straightforward: no legitimate organisation cold-calls to fix your computer, and no one legitimate needs remote access to it.
4. Investment scams
The scam: The biggest loss category nationally. These scams often begin with a social media advertisement, a fake news article, or ‘financial advisers’ who reach out unexpectedly.
Any unsolicited investment opportunity should be checked with someone trusted before a single dollar is transferred. If returns sound too good to be true, they usually are.
While you are there: the 20 minute setup
- Turn on automatic software updates so security patches install themselves.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication for banking and email accounts. Email security is especially important because access to an email account can be used to reset other accounts.
- Set up a password manager, or at a minimum explain why reusing passwords increases risk.
- Agree on a family safe word and make sure everyone knows and uses it.
If something goes wrong
Speed matters more than embarrassment. If your parent thinks they may have been scammed:
- Call their bank immediately using the official phone number. The sooner the bank is notified, the greater the chance of stopping or recovering a payment.
- Report the incident to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au, even if no money was lost. Reports help authorities identify and disrupt scams.
- Contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160 if personal details or identity documents were shared. IDCARE provides free national identity support services.
This information provides general advice only. We do not provide advice based on any consideration of your personal objectives, needs or circumstances.
