How to spot five common impersonation scams

All scams involve a form of impersonation, but some disguises are more popular and effective than others. Here’s how you can spot five common types of impersonation scam and help keep your money protected.

7 minutes

1. Bank impersonation scams

Bank impersonation scams are common in Australia and increasingly hard to spot. Scammers can make their calls and text messages appear to come from your bank, they can even send you text messages that appear in the same chain as other legitimate messages. Scammers may also use phone numbers that are similar to a bank’s legitimate phone number – hoping you won’t detect the difference.

Watch out for

Any request for payment, personal details or login credentials from a person or institution claiming to be from your bank.

A real-life example

Scamwatch has warned of a rise in scammers saying they’re from a legitimate bank, often claiming they’re from the fraud department. They may refer to your account being compromised, a suspicious transaction, or an online banking outage and urgently ask you to transfer your funds or share your login credentials to protect your accounts.

Safety tip

Your bank may legitimately contact you if they suspect suspicious activity on your account. But your bank will never ask you for login credentials such as your banking password, and they won’t ask you to make payments or transfer money.

You're in control

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is popular and generally effective. However, it’s important to know that if you’re using SMS for multi-factor authentication, it’s not the safest option on the market, as SMS can be compromised.

For example, if your phone number is illegally ported, a criminal can receive your messages – including from your bank - and use them to get access to your accounts.

Macquarie customers can use Macquarie Authenticator instead of SMS to verify important transactions and account activity.

2. Government impersonation scams

To gain your trust, scammers often pretend to be from government organisations or departments. This can include Services Australia, Centrelink or the Australian Taxation Office. Increasingly, scammers are also claiming to be agents of international authorities, targeting culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Watch out for

An unsolicited email or text which contains a link or an urgent request for payment, your login credentials or your personal details. Scammers may also call and threaten arrest, deportation, or other legal action.

A real-life example

The NSW Government is aware of several scams circulating using Revenue NSW and Service NSW branding. These scams are seeking urgent payment for fine notices that do not exist.

Safety tip

Government organisations won’t ever send a link asking you to log in to online services (such as myGov) in a text message or email, or with an urgent request for payment.

3. Celebrity impersonation scams

A tactic that is growing in popularity on social media is scammers using the image and name of a well-known person to endorse their fake product, scheme or investment scam. Often, scammers create fake profiles, using legitimate images, to appear trusted. Romance scammers may also pretend to be a celebrity, typically using social media as their starting point for a conversation.

Watch out for

Videos or images which show a public figure endorsing an investment opportunity. Deepfake technology is often used in celebrity impersonation scams, making a fraudulent video or image appear legitimate.

A real-life example

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) shared that an Australian lost $80,000 in cryptocurrency after viewing a deepfake video of a public figure on social media. The victim registered their details, invested their funds, and watched their significant returns grow via an online dashboard. However, the setup was fake, and the money was stolen by scammers.

Safety tip

Often, a well-known public figure will issue a warning about scammers impersonating them. In addition to independently verifying any investment opportunity you find, you can search for warnings issued by the celebrity endorser.

What to do if you're scammed

If you're the victim of a scam, it’s important to remember that you're not alone. Scams are common in Australia and worldwide, and there are support services available to you, including steps from the Australian Government to help guide you.

Unfortunately, scammers often target victims again, with the promise of helping them recover some of their lost funds. Never engage with unsolicited or advertised support for scam recovery services, only work with trusted institutions such as your bank or government agencies, using contact information you have independently verified.

4. Family and friends impersonations

‘Family and friends’ impersonation scams involve a scammer pretending to be someone you know who needs your help urgently, usually in the form of payment. Sometimes scammers may even use a photo of a family member or friend, or deepfake technology to impersonate them in a voice note or video.

Watch out for

A message via text or social media with a request to transfer money or share login details, from a number or person you don’t recognise. The text may suggest your family member or friend is in urgent need of support.

A real-life example

The ‘hi mum’ scam has cost Australians millions, according to Scamwatch. This is when a scammer will pretend to be a person’s child contacting their parent from an unknown number, claiming to have lost or damaged their phone. They’ll often request money or banking login credentials to help them recover their device.

Safety tip

If you’re contacted by someone claiming to be your son, daughter, relative or friend, start by calling them on the number already stored in your phone to confirm if it’s not in use. Even if you’re unable to make contact, you should still assume a scammer is trying their luck. You could try asking personal questions a scammer couldn’t know the answers to, being careful never to reveal any sensitive information in the process.

5. Job impersonation scams

These types of scams involve the impersonation of trusted companies to encourage you to part with your money or grant access to your bank account. There are many layers to job impersonation scams, from scammers offering low-effort, high-income jobs that require an upfront payment, to scammers asking to use your bank account to hold and transfer money – and pretending it’s a legitimate part of the role they’re offering.

Watch out for

Job opportunities that are unsolicited or appear too good to be true, including an income higher than the market rate for relatively low hours or a role that never requires you to meet your employer in-person.

A real-life example

The Australian Federal Police warns scammers are targeting students and offering them payment to receive money into their bank account and transfer it to another account or cryptocurrency exchange. Known as ‘money mules’, these students are often recruited via fake job offers and may be unknowingly transferring stolen money.

Safety tip

Never enter any employment arrangement that asks for upfront payment or access to your bank account.

Your steps to staying safe

Sophisticated technology means scammers can convincingly appear to be someone you know or an institution you trust. No matter what the situation, you can help keep your money protected by following these principles.

Pause

Take a moment and think, does this offer seem too good to be true? Ask yourself, is it unusual for this person I know, or this stranger or celebrity I don’t know, to be contacting me like this?

Process

Independently verify any investment opportunity or request for contact using research and contact information you find on your own. If in any doubt, don’t proceed.

Proceed

Only move forward if you’re confident in your independent verification and remember – a bank, financial institution or government agency will never urgently require you to transfer money or share your sensitive information.

Your resources

To learn more about how to keep your money secure, visit:

Macquarie’s security hub For insights and tips to stay safe.

Scamwatch To stay updated on the latest scams affecting Australians.

Moneysmart For more information on what to do if you’ve been scammed.

Additional Information

The information in this article was finalised on 4 March 2025.

This article was prepared by Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 237502 and doesn’t take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. The information provided is informed by sources including The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Scamwatch, The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and state-based government agencies.