Scam or Hacked Account? What to Do Before You Contact a Technician

If you think you were scammed or hacked, do not send passwords, banking codes, card numbers or one-time login codes to anyone, including through a repair form. If money or banking access is involved, contact your bank immediately. Then use Quick Help to start a scam or hacked account request so a technician can review the device and account situation.

If banking, card details or money transfers are involved, contact your bank immediately. This is the single most important step. Banks have fraud teams available around the clock and can freeze transactions, block cards, reverse transfers and begin fraud reviews. A technician cannot do any of those things — your bank can. Do not wait until after you speak to a technician if money is involved.

If an account is still logged in on a device — such as an email account, a social media account or a banking app that looks unusual — do not keep clicking suspicious links or entering codes. Stop interacting with the suspicious content and close it if you can do so safely.

If a scam caller asked you to install software on your computer — such as AnyDesk, TeamViewer, QuickSupport or a similar remote access tool — disconnect from the internet by unplugging the cable or turning off Wi-Fi. This may prevent further access while you get help. Then use a different device to contact the bank and a technician.

If you are not sure whether the call or message was a scam, see the related guide on how Quick Help handles higher-risk support requests.

During and after a scam situation, it is important to know what information should never be shared — including through a tech support form, a message or a phone call, even with someone claiming to be a technician or a bank employee.

Never share: passwords, device lock screen PINs, banking login codes, one-time SMS codes or authentication codes, account recovery codes, credit card or banking account numbers, private identity document details such as your tax file number, or remote access codes generated by apps like AnyDesk or TeamViewer.

A legitimate technician or bank representative will never ask for these details through an unsolicited call, a repair form or an online chat. If you are being asked for these items, that is a warning sign — hang up or stop the conversation and contact your bank or the official tech support service through a known, verified channel.

When using Quick Help for a scam or hacked account request, describe what happened without including any of the above. Include screenshots of suspicious messages if useful — but crop or blur any sensitive codes or numbers visible in the screenshot before uploading.

When describing a scam or hacked account situation through Quick Help, include as much of the following as you can — without sharing sensitive codes or credentials:

• Which account or service is affected — email, social media, banking app, computer
• What link, message or call you interacted with
• Whether you entered a password, code or personal detail during the scam
• Whether you still have access to the account or have been locked out
• Whether you installed any software as part of the scam
• Whether money has been transferred or a purchase has been made
• Whether business email or business accounts are involved

This information helps the technician understand the scope of the situation and prioritise the right response. You do not need to have all the answers — share what you know and the technician will ask follow-up questions if needed.

Your IT and Tech Mates can help review devices, accounts and security settings after a scam or hacked account incident. Specific areas we can assist with include:

• Checking computers and phones for remote access software and removing it if found
• Reviewing email account access logs and active sessions
• Checking security settings, multi-factor authentication and recovery options
• Helping change passwords safely from a clean device
• Reviewing what accounts were connected and may need attention
• Providing calm, plain-English guidance on next steps for safer recovery

We do not provide legal advice, banking reversal assistance or identity theft guarantees. For official financial fraud response, your bank is the right contact. For identity theft concerns, IDCARE (Australia's national identity and cyber support service) is a free and confidential resource. For serious criminal matters, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and local police are appropriate contacts.

See also the related service page on scam safety help in Melbourne's north for more information about the types of scam situations we help local customers with.