First of all, know you’re not alone. Nearly 300,000 Aussies reported to scamwatch.gov.au that they had been scammed in 2021. Support is available, and you must act fast if you think you’ve been scammed. 

If you have recently lost money or given out your personal information to a scammer, there are steps you can take straight away to help protect you from any further losses. 

Steps to take if you’ve been scammed:

1. Don’t send any more money to the scammer. They often try and ask for money. Please don’t fall for it. Block all contact with the scammer. 
2. Contact your bank or financial institution. You should contact your financial institution immediately if you’ve sent money or shared your bank account details with a scammer. They may be able to stop the transaction and/or close your account. 
3. Warn your friends and family members. Scammers may try to target your friends or family, warn them so they can watch out for potential scams. 

Recover your identity.

If you think you’re a victim of identity theft, act quickly to reduce your risk of damage being done.

contact IDCARE – a free government-funded service that will work with you to develop a specific response plan to your situation and support you through the process. Visit the IDCARE website or call 1800 595 160 (if in Australia)

Apply for a Commonwealth Victims’ Certificate – a certificate helps support your claim that you’ve been the victim of identity crime, and can be used to help re-establish your credentials with government or financial institutions. Visit Victims of Commonwealth identity crime

Report the scam to authorities.

It’s best to report your scam to the ACCC via this page. 

Facebook Scams – be sure to report them. 

If you’ve been scammed on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp, you should the platform and let them know about the scam. 

On how to do this, see the How you can report scams on Facebook services – guidance for Australians_0