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- What is an impersonation scam?
- How do these scams work?
- Impersonation scam red flags
- Who do these scammers tend to impersonate?
- How can you protect yourself from impersonation scammers?
- What can you do if you think you’ve been scammed?
- Who can you contact if you’ve been scammed?
Picture this, your phone rings and the caller ID comes up as: Australian Taxation Office (ATO). They’re claiming you won’t be able to get your tax refund without urgently providing some information, including your banking details. It’s the ATO, so it must be real… right?
Unfortunately, this is just one of the ways scammers can exploit your trust to gain access to your personal details or your wallet. These scams are crafted to seem real and can catch you off guard if you're not paying close attention.
We know it can be daunting, but we’re about to explore some strategies you can use to spot these scams and protect yourself and your hard-earned money.
What is an impersonation scam?
An impersonation scam is when a scammer contacts you while pretending to be a trusted organisation, government agency, or someone you know. Their goal? To trick you into sharing personal details or sending money. These scams can look very real, sometimes even showing up under the same phone number or email as the actual organisation they are impersonating.
Scammers might contact you via SMS, email, social media, or a phone call. The approach can vary from friendly offers and discounts to urgent threats or emotional appeals. The truth is, anyone can be targeted, and anyone can be impersonated. But as scary as that may sound, there are some reliable ways to spot these scams before it’s too late.
How do these scams work?
Impersonation scams come in many forms, but they all have one thing in common: they’re designed to trick you into sharing personal or financial information by pretending to be someone you trust.
You might get a phone call, SMS, or email claiming to be from your bank, telco, or the ATO. The message may urge you to click a link to verify suspicious activity or log in to a fake website. In other cases, scammers pretend to be from government agencies, threatening serious consequences if you don’t pay money they claim you owe.
Some scams are more personal, like a message from someone claiming to be your child or parent, asking for urgent help from a new number. These messages often sound casual and familiar, making them harder to spot.
“It’s important to be wary of any request asking for money or personal information - particularly banking information - even if it appears to be someone you know,” says Erica Hardinge, ANZ’s Product Area Lead in Staff and Customer Security Education and Resilience Enablement. “It’s unlikely a family member will suddenly have a new number, be unreachable for a phone call and be in dire need of money.”
6 impersonation scam red flags
- An unsolicited or unexpected call, email or message. “Emails or text messages which you don’t expect to receive, with links to provide your personal information are also unlikely to be from legitimate organisations,” explains Erica.
- Being prompted to follow a link to an external website and fill in your details.
- An urgent request for action.
- Request for you to share sensitive information (PINs, usernames, passwords).
- Being asked to download a file.
- Being informed of an unauthorised transaction or asked to confirm a payment you didn’t make.
Who do these scammers tend to impersonate?
Scammers often mimic:
- Banks: Claiming there’s suspicious activity on your account or that your account will be suspended unless you act quickly. They may ask you to verify personal details like your PIN, password, or one-time passcode, or direct you to a fake website that looks just like your bank’s login page. Some may urge you to transfer money to a ‘safe’ account or click a link to start a live chat, which could involve downloading software that secretly monitors your activity or accesses your account. These are called bank impersonation scams.
- Government agencies: Pretending to be the ATO or police. They often claim you’re owed a refund or urgently owe money, using threats of legal action or arrest to pressure you into paying.
- Service providers: Posing as entities like insurers or telcos, offering fake discounts or service upgrades. They often request personal details or threaten service cancellation to pressure you into complying.
- Family and friends: Sending messages from unknown numbers pretending to be a loved one who’s lost their phone and needs urgent help - like the “Hey Mum/Dad” scam. Others might impersonate a friend on social media, asking you to click a link or transfer money.
Some scams are so sophisticated they can make fake messages appear in the same thread as legitimate ones from trusted organisations (also known as ‘spoofing’) That’s why it’s important to stay alert and know the warning signs.
How can you protect yourself from impersonation scammers?
- If someone calls claiming to be from your bank, confirm it’s from them by calling the number on the back of your card, or the number listed on your bank’s official website.
- Be suspicious of anyone asking you for personal information or payment. If in doubt, ignore the message, or just hang up.
Hot tip: Some phones allow you to report scams after receiving a call or SMS.
- Be wary of threats, time pressure or emotional guilt trips from anyone claiming to be an authority figure or loved one.
- Use a family code word. This can help you and your loved ones know whether it’s actually you who is sending the message.
- Don’t click on links or download attachments from an unexpected message or email.
What can you do if you think you’ve been scammed?
If you think you’ve been scammed by someone impersonating a trusted source, know that you are not alone.
“There is no shame in being scammed. Being scammed is increasingly common and sadly it’s also common to feel grief, anxiety and embarrassment, but you shouldn’t,” explains Erica. “It is literally a scammers job to convince you to take action, whether this involves sharing personal and often banking information or transferring money.”
It’s normal to feel angry when your trust has been exploited, but there are some immediate actions you can take to protect yourself from further financial harm.
- If you have shared financial information or believe you have transferred money to a scammer, notify your bank immediately. If you are an ANZ customer, please contact us immediately.
- If you shared credit card details, block or cancel those cards immediately. If your cards are with ANZ, you can do this through the app. Learn more.
Who can you contact if you’ve been scammed?
- Report the scam to the Police through the Australian Signals Directorate’s ReportCyber portal. This resource is there for reports of scams where money or personal information has been lost.
- Help others by reporting to Scamwatch to help them prevent future losses, monitor trends and educate the population about emerging threats.
- For phishing or identity theft associated with government accounts such as Centrelink, Medicare, or Child Support, contact the Services Australia Scams and Identity Helpdesk on 1800 941 126 or find out more via their website.
- You can also contact IDCare, a not-for-profit organisation providing support to those experiencing identity and cyber security issues.
