Recover and get help from cybercrimes
Recover and get help from Cybercrimes
Immediate Support
— If there is an immediate threat to life or risk of harm, always call Triple Zero (000) first.
| For an immediate threat to life or risk of harm emergency – call ( 000 ) now. | |
| For non-emergencies – call ( 131 444 ) | |
| To provide crime information – call ( 1800 333 000 ) |
Report A Scam to the Australian National Anti-Scam Center
The Australia National Anti-Scam Centre brings together experts from the government and private sector to tackle harmful scams. Its aim to make it tougher for scammers to exploit Australians, preventing them from stealing money and personal information. They are committed to creating a safer environment and protecting individuals like yourself from falling victim to deceptive schemes.
Report a Scam
Could this actually be a scam?
If you’re unsure whether something is really a scam, here are some tips:
- Scams today are increasingly sophisticated and hard to spot. If something seems suspicious enough that you felt the need to ask someone about it, it’s probably a scam.
- As soon as you have doubts, stop communicating with the scammer right away.
- Follow the recovery steps we recommended below, like monitoring accounts and credit reports closely. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
- Don’t feel bad if you were fooled — scammers can be extremely persuasive. The important thing is catching it as early as possible and limiting the damage.
If you have lost money to a scam
Cybercrime can affect anyone, from individuals to businesses to governments. In cybercrime, criminals target victims via computers, mobile, and IoT devices or online networks.
Act quickly if you have fallen victim to a scam and lost money:
- Contact your bank or financial institution ASAP. They may be able to locate the money, block scam accounts, and prevent others from sending money to the scammer.
- If unsatisfied with your bank’s response, seek free advice from the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.
- If experiencing financial hardship, contact the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 Do not accept offers from third parties to help get money back, as this is a common scam tactic.
- Free services like IDCARE (www.idcare.org) on 1800 595 160 can assist with recovering funds.
- If you need crisis support, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on (03) 9810 6100.
Common types of cybercrime include:
- Cyber abuse – spreading hate and inciting terrorism.
- Image-based abuse – threatening to share your photos with others.
- Child exploitation or grooming – distributing child pornography.
- Cyberbullying – Someone sends you unpleasant messages on the internet.
- Online shopping fraud – stealing your credit card, financial, or banking information.
- Romance fraud – scam your money.
- Identity theft – misusing your personal information.
- Email compromise – phishing: using fake email messages to get personal information from you.
- Hacking and denial of service attacks – shutting down or misusing your business or personal websites or computer networks.
- Ransomware attacks – Prevent you from accessing your device and the data stored on it and demand a ransom to unlock or release your device and data.
Cybercrimes you can report via the ReportCyber include:
- cyber-enabled abuse
- online image abuse
- identity theft and fraud
- affected devices
- online fraud
— If you are a victim of cybercrime, you can report it to the police through the Australia Cyber Security Center’s ReportCyber portal here. ReportCyber is the Australian Government’s online cybercrime reporting tool. It is coordinated by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC). Check the status of an existing Cybercrime report here.
Recover and get help from Cybercrimes
Finding the right Australian government agency and community organizations support for the following cybercrimes:
Report a cybercrime, incident, or vulnerability
 | Report a cybercrime, incident, or vulnerability. Get help from Australian Cyber Security Center (ACSC). |
Report Scams:
 | Report scams to Scamwatch if you’ve been scammed. | |
| If you gave personal information to someone claiming to be a government service like MyGov, | ||
| An Australian Taxation Office (ATO) impersonation scam may have affected you. | ||
| Contact your bank immediately if you have sent money or personal information to a scammer. | ||
| IDCARE is a unique support service in Australia and New Zealand that aids individuals and organizations in reducing harm caused by the misuse or compromise of identity information. They have assisted thousands of people with effective response and mitigation solutions. |
Report Cyberbullying:
 | If you are experiencing cyberbullying, or someone is posting illegal, inappropriate, or offensive online content. You can report it to the eSafety Commissioner. |
Report Child exploitation or grooming:
 | Reports of child exploitation or grooming here and this service are managed by the Australian Federal Police (AFP). |
Report spam phone calls, emails, or text messages:
 | Contact the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) if you receive spam phone calls, emails, or text messages. | |
| Powered by the ACMA, this prevents you from receiving many common unsolicited telemarketing calls. |
Report Financial misconduct or misconduct of an Australian company
 | Reports of any financial or management misconduct should be made to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). |
Report cyber incidents and identity theft:
 | In the event of a cyber incident, IDCare provides support to individuals and organizations. |
Report mishandling of personal details by an Australian organization
 | If you think your personal details have been mishandled, you can report them to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). |
Report fraudulent or misleading content from an Australian business
 | You should report online content originating from an Australian business if it is Fraudulent, incorrect, inaccurate, or misleading to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). |
Report defamatory content
 | If you are worried about defamatory online content material is addressed by seeking independent legal advice. |
Report discrimination or human rights concerns
 | Concerns about human rights or discrimination should be reported to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). |
Domestic violence or sexual abuse advice
 | To talk about domestic violence or sexual abuse, please call 1800 737 732 or chat online at 1800respect.org.au |
Feel depressed or anxious? Don’t go it alone. Please reach out for help.
 | Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention | |
 | Beyond Blue can provide support and treatment advice to help manage your anxiety. |
Kids and Youth Mental Health Issues – Get Support now
 | Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free (even from a mobile), confidential 24/7 online and phone counseling service for young people aged 5 to 25. | |
 | Headspace helped thousands of young people get vital support through its 140+ national centers. Helping young Australians with mental health, physical health, & managing work and study. |
Tenancy issues and legal advice
 | Do you need help with renting? Be aware of your rental rights and responsibilities so you know what to do and who has to take action to fix the problem. Get help from Tenants Victoria. |
24 X 7 Cyber security monitoring service
 | We provide specialized and proactive 24 x 7 x 365 cyber security protection services to families and small businesses across Melbourne. Price from $11 per device per month plus free installation. |
Recover and get help from cybercrimes