Scam alert – Banking impersonation scams

Have you received a message from your bank that doesn’t seem right? Don’t respond – it might be a scam.

The ACMA is warning consumers to watch out for banking impersonation scams.

These scams can be sophisticated. Scammers impersonate well-known banks and send you messages to try and steal your money or personal information. These messages sometimes state that there is a problem with your account or that there is a suspicious transaction. The scammer then requests that you immediately contact a number provided within the message, which is not the real number.  

Consumers are advised to never click a link or use a phone number in a suspicious message. Rather, use trusted channels to contact your bank, such as your online banking app or your bank’s website. 

What to look out for 

• A sense of urgency – scammers try to create an urgent need for you to interact with them. For example, they may say that your account will be blocked if you don’t follow the instructions in their message.
• Generic greetings – scam messages are often not addressed to you by name but are instead addressed to your email address or use generic greetings like ‘Dear Customer’.
• Strange sender address – the sender’s email address may not match the bank’s name or may be unusual, misspelt or different from the bank’s real address. 

Take action 

• STOP. Don’t give money or your information to anyone if unsure. Scammers will pretend to be from organisations you know and trust, like businesses, the police, your bank or government services. They will offer to help you or ask you to verify your identity with them.
• CHECK. Ask yourself if the message or call is fake. Never click a link in a message. Only contact businesses or government using contact information that you find yourself from their official website or app. If you’re not sure, say ‘no’, hang up or delete.
• PROTECT. Act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank immediately if you notice unusual activity or if a scammer gets your money or information.

If you think you’ve been scammed, contact your bank immediately to stop any payments and tell your telco.   

Help other Australians by reporting scams to ScamWatch. Reporting scams and talking about them not only helps to understand what happened but also informs authorities about scammer activities so that they can make it harder for scams to occur.

The ACMA supports the government’s Fighting Scams initiative to address scams and online fraud and protect Australians from financial harm. We also support the work of the National Anti-Scam Centre, which coordinates government, law enforcement and the private sector to combat scams.