Four courageous Australians share their stories during Scams Awareness Week 2026, and join with the National Anti-Scam Centre in encouraging people to remember three simple steps: Stop. Check. Protect. They hope to encourage others to share their stories too.
Running from 24 to 28 August, this year's campaign theme, No one's just a number, puts a human face to the scale of scams in Australia by sharing real stories from Australians who were scammed.
Australians made 91,767 reports to Scamwatch in the first six months of 2026, with $156.6 million reported stolen. When combined with reports made to law enforcement through ReportCyber the total reported lost during that period was $554.1 million across 122,550 reports. This is an 11 per cent drop in the number of reports and an increase of 1 per cent in reported losses. The figures show scams remain a serious problem but the personal stories behind the statistics are just as important
"Behind every reported loss is a person who has been harmed, whose life has been disrupted by criminals using pressure, impersonation, psychology and technology including AI to steal their money or identity," ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
"This Scams Awareness Week, we want Australians to know that any of us can be scammed. Being scammed is not a reflection of someone's intelligence or judgement - it reflects how sophisticated and manipulative these criminals have become."
Real stories behind the statistics
Lindy received a text message claiming she had bought a laptop. She had not placed the order, so she called the number in the message and believed she was speaking with PayPal. The caller said they could stop the transaction but needed Lindy to read back a verification code. They pressured her to act quickly, leaving little time to check who she was speaking with. Lindy had money stolen and was left in debt.
"They rush you through it and make you panic. As soon as I hung up the phone, I just knew. My heart sank," Lindy said.
Mannu was building a granny flat and believed he was paying a $20,000 deposit to his builder so work could begin. He was expecting a payment request, so when a payment link arrived, it seemed legitimate. But the link was not from the builder, and the deposit was stolen.
"To save $20,000 takes a lot of time. It's a shocking feeling when your hard-earned money has gone," Mannu said.
Nikita received a friend request from someone she believed was a British pilot. After weeks of building a relationship, the pilot told Nikita his son had been in an accident and he could not access his own money. He seemed genuinely upset, so Nikita sent $5,000 believing she was helping. The next day, she was blocked.
"I never thought it would happen to me. But it can happen to anyone," Nikita said.
Susanne received urgent messages she believed were from her daughter, saying her phone was broken, her bank account had been frozen, and she needed to make payments. The messages became increasingly urgent. Before Susanne could contact her daughter and discover she had been scammed she had already transferred $26,000.
"Unless you're 100 per cent sure who it's coming from, don't engage," Susanne said.
Scammers use pressure, trust and familiar situations
The stories reflect some of the most common ways scammers reach Australians. In the first half of 2026, online contact methods, including websites, social media and mobile apps, accounted for the highest reported losses to Scamwatch. Phone calls and emails continued to generate high volumes of reports.
Buying and selling scams (which often involve online shops or marketplace buyers and sellers), had the highest number of Scamwatch reports involving financial loss, with 7,652 people reporting money stolen. Investment scams remained the highest overall loss scam type reported to Scamwatch, with $80.4 million stolen in the first six months of 2026.
Cryptocurrency and bank transfer continued to be the payment methods linked to the highest reported scam losses, with more than $50 million reported stolen through each payment type.
These figures are based only on reports to Scamwatch, and understate the actual cost of scams, with many losses reported to police via ReportCyber, others identified by service providers, and many more going unreported. The impact of scams in Australia as captured across multiple reporting sources can be seen in the National Anti-Scam Centre's Targeting Scams 2025.
"Scammers create situations that feel urgent, routine or emotionally compelling. It might be a slick professional looking website, an email that looks like it comes from a trusted service, a payment request that you're expecting, a message from someone you care about, or a relationship that feels genuine," Ms Lowe said.
"Taking a moment to stop, check and protect yourself every time you get a request for money or personal details is one of the best ways you can make it harder for scammers to succeed. But equally don't blame yourself if scammers do deceive you - these criminals are experts and reporting is a great way to fight back."
Stop. Check. Protect.
The National Anti-Scam Centre is urging Australians to take three simple steps:
Stop
- Always take a moment before giving money or personal information to anyone.
- Scammers will create a sense of urgency to pressure you into acting quickly. Don't rush to make decisions about money or sharing personal details.
Check
- Make sure the person or organisation you're dealing with is real.
- Scammers pretend to be from organisations you know and trust. Always verify who you're really dealing with before taking any action.
Protect
- Act quickly if something feels wrong.
- The sooner you take action, the better you can protect yourself and others from scammers.
- If you believe you've had sensitive information or money stolen by a scammer, report the scam to police and contact your bank immediately.
- Report to Scamwatch even if you haven't had money stolen.
Reports help the National Anti-Scam Centre identify emerging scam activity, support disruption efforts and warn the community.
"The more we talk about scams and report them, the harder it becomes for scammers' tactics to work," Ms Lowe said.
"If you have been affected by a scam, support is available. You are not alone, and reporting what happened can help protect others."
Scams Awareness Week is a collaborative effort between government, business, community groups, consumer protection organisations, educational organisations and individuals to promote scams awareness and help Australians stay safe.
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