What Is Scamwatch and How Does It Help Australians?

What Is Scamwatch and How Does It Help Australians?

If you've ever Googled "is this a scam?" there's a reasonable chance Scamwatch came up. It's one of Australia's most valuable online safety resources — and one of the least-used by the very people who'd benefit most.

Here's what it is, why it exists, and how to make the most of it.

What is Scamwatch?

Scamwatch is a website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Its main purposes are:

1. Accepting reports of scams from Australian consumers and businesses
2. Publishing warnings about active scam campaigns targeting Australians
3. Providing data on scam losses and trends
4. Educating Australians about how scams work and how to avoid them

The scale of the problem Scamwatch tracks:

In 2023, Australians reported losses of $2.74 billion to scams. That's the reported figure — the real number is likely significantly higher, since most scam victims never report. Phishing and email scams represent a significant chunk of that.

Scamwatch publishes this data annually in the Targeting Scams report, which makes for sobering reading.

What kinds of scams does Scamwatch cover?

Essentially all of them:

• Email and phone scams (phishing, smishing, vishing)
• Investment scams and romance scams
• Identity theft and impersonation
• Online shopping fraud
• Fake government notices (ATO, Medicare, Centrelink)
• Job offer scams
• Remote access scams (fake IT support)
• And dozens more categories

How to use Scamwatch:

To check if something is a scam: The search function and scam type categories let you look up scam formats and see if others have reported something similar.

To report a scam: The reporting form takes about 5 minutes. You can report anonymously or include contact details if you want to hear back.

To stay updated: Subscribe to scam alerts so you're notified when a new campaign is active in Australia. During tax time, Scamwatch regularly warns about ATO impersonation spikes. During major disasters, they warn about charity fraud.

For businesses specifically:

Scamwatch has resources specifically for small businesses, including guides on invoice fraud, business email compromise, and payment redirection scams. If you're a business owner, spending 20 minutes on their website is a very worthwhile investment.

The bottom line

Scamwatch is free, well-maintained, and genuinely useful. Bookmark it. Check it when something seems off. Report when you see a scam — your report might protect someone else.

For hands-on scam training, try Phishbate →