Beware of scams
If you get an unexpected email, letter, fax, SMS, or phone call from the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA), be careful. It might be a scam designed to trick you into paying money.
If you think you've been scammed, call us right away at 1300 364 785 (8.30 am – 8.00 pm AEST, Monday to Friday).
We will sometimes contact you by phone, email, SMS and post. If you’re not sure whether it’s really us, contact us to check and do not reply or click on any links.
Reporting other scams
If you've been scammed in a different way, like someone trying to get your personal information, report it to SCAMwatch.
If you've been a victim of cybercrime like hacking, online scams or fraud, identity theft, or an attack on your computer, you can report it to ReportCyber.
Identifying AFSA impersonation scams in emails and letters
Scammers might try to trick you with emails and letters that look like they're from AFSA, complete with the AFSA logo and address. They might claim that you need to pay money to approve the transfer of large sums of money into your bank account.
Be careful because these are designed to trick you into paying money. See the examples below. Some have poor grammar, spelling errors, all capital letters or figures in USD. Others are well written and look very official, so don't rely on mistakes to spot a scam.
Warning signs it might be a scam
Look out for the following scam warning signs:
- You receive a message that asks you to click on a link that takes you to a webpage asking for your username, password, or personal information.
- There is an urgent request for action, and you are asked to provide personal details or money quickly.
- An organisation that you think is real, tells you there has been an unauthorised transaction, or asks you to confirm a payment that you didn't make.
- A business asks you to use a different bank account and BSB from the last payment you made.
- You're contacted by someone pretending to be from a government department, regulator or law enforcement and they threaten immediate arrest, deportation, or ask you to pay money.
- You're asked to transfer money to an account to ‘keep it safe' or for 'further investigation'.
Examples of scams
Watch out for the following AFSA impersonation scams:
In this scam, a person pretending to be an AFSA case manager told the victim they had to pay a "tax" before money could be released to them. AFSA will never ask you to pay a fee or tax to release money. If you get an email like this, don't reply. Call us on 1300 364 785.
