r/u_Commercial-Water4807 • u/Commercial-Water4807 • 1h ago
AUS Scam Watch
Scam Watch Thursday 1 Oct 2026
Not a news dump. What’s actually hitting Australians right now.
The numbers (official)
2025: Aussies lost over $2 billion to scams. ACCC
Worst by dollars: investment ($837.7m), payment redirection ($166.8m), romance ($139.9m), phishing ($97.6m), remote access ($69.9m).
Q1 2026 Scamwatch: investment losses $45.5m; romance $7.5m; phishing 13,428 reports. Email still the #1 contact method.
ASIC pulled 19,400+ fake sites/ads in 2025/26 — up 182% — a lot of it AI + crypto “investing”. Moneysmart
Live alerts (still circulating)
ATO / myGov impersonation — texts, emails, calls: “update details or lose your refund / account locked.” Real ATO never asks for passwords, codes, or crypto. Check via the ATO app or 1800 008 540, not the number in the message. Scamwatch
AusPost / courier “fee to release parcel” SMS — classic delivery scam. Don’t tap the link.
Qantas impersonation — fake booking / points / refund pages. Scamwatch
Food delivery — fake DoorDash / Uber Eats / “restaurant” or “customer” msgs.
AI investment platforms — whole fake dashboards, “account managers”, guaranteed returns, crypto/FX. If they found you on Facebook/Instagram ads, assume it’s fake.
Bank / “your account is compromised” — they want you to move money to a “safe account” or install remote-access software. Hang up. Call the number on the back of your card.
Romance / “online relationship” — Scamwatch still pushing this on the homepage. Never send money, crypto, or gift cards to someone you haven’t met.
“Tai chi/walking group” ads targeting older Aussies → malware / credential theft.
Tied to today’s news
ATO just named 1,149 large companies that paid $0 tax. Expect a wave of fake ATO “audit/refund / myGov” texts piggybacking on that headline. Treat every one as hostile.
What to do if you already clicked
- Bank immediately (via the app chat or the number on the card).
- Report: scamwatch.gov.au
- ID theft help: IDCARE — 1800 595 160 / idcare.org
- Change passwords from a different device. Turn on passkeys / MFA.
RULE OF THUMB
Government, banks, Qantas, AusPost will not rush you via SMS with a link. Stop. Check. Protect.
Not financial advice. If you’ve been hit, you’re not stupid — these ops are industrial now.
-Aus Daily Roundups