Scam Defence
Stop the scammers. Report it.

If you think you've seen or received something suspicious, we want to know about it.

Report a Scam
If you think you have been in contact with a dodgy buyer or seller, we'd like to know about it.

Report your scam here


Report Spam
If you're receiving lots of junk mail we'd like to know about it so we can investigate why.

Report spam here


5 Rules of Online Safety

Don't forget the 5 golden rules of browsing and buying online:

1. Have up-to-date antivirus software
2. Have up-to-date firewall software
3. Choose a secure password
4. Always log off when you're done
5. Most importantly...

If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is!

Buyer Safety

Seller Safety


Payment Scams

Payment scams often involve false sellers trying to trick you into sending your hard-earned cash for items that just don't exist.

But it's such a good deal...

As the saying goes - if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is! Fraudsters will often list items in 'mint condition' that are heavily under-priced or try to list items multiple times in order to draw in more buyers to their scam.

Other key identifying features of a false listing can include:

  • The seller is located overseas or interstate and must sell their item urgently
  • The seller will ask for a deposit by money transfer services such as Western Union
  • The sell will only correspond via email. if a phone number is provided for the listing, it does not work.

What can you do to avoid these scams?

1.

Choose a payment method you’re comfortable with. Make sure any payments you do make are traceable and/or refundable and that you are receive proof of purchase such as a receipt or email confirmation directly from the provider.


2.

Never send cash in the mail or by money transfer services such as Western Union.


3.

Ask the seller lots of questions about the item, they might not have included all the information you need to make an educated decision about purchasing their item in their advertisement.


4.

Ask to see the item in person before committing to purchasing it. This way you can confirm the item is genuine and see first hand what condition it is in.

5.

Read reviews of the item to compare prices and verify features. For example, if you’re buying a vehicle check RedBook.com.au to make sure the price the seller is asking is reasonable and that the features they have listed are genuine.


Report it to us. Help us fight scams by alerting us to anything suspicious as soon as possible. If you’ve received an email you believe to be from a false buyer we want to know about it. Contact us.

Important: Ads that we consider to be false or misleading are removed from our sites. If you think you have spotted a false listing report it to us.

Recent scams

False payment scam

May 2010

Buyers have been targeted by an email scam claiming to be from carsales requesting a deposit for a vehicle.

False Western Union payment scam

March 2010

Buyers are being targeted in a scam involving Western Union transactions for fake vehicle listings.