The Current Scams Targeting Australians in 2026

Publish Date: 18/02/2026

Scams across Australia are becoming more sophisticated, more personalised and far more convincing. What used to be obvious spam emails have evolved into highly targeted messages, fake websites that look identical to the real thing, and even AI-generated voices and images designed to build trust.

Australians continue to lose hundreds of millions of dollars each year to scams. Small business owners are particularly vulnerable because email accounts, domain access and online systems are often interconnected. When one account is compromised, everything can unravel quickly.

Here are the major scam trends currently impacting Australians.

Phishing and Impersonation Scams

Phishing remains the most common tactic. Scammers impersonate banks, delivery companies, government agencies, airlines and even local service providers.

You might receive:

Emails claiming there is an issue with your account
SMS messages saying a parcel is waiting for delivery
Calls pretending to be from the ATO or a bank fraud department

The links often lead to cloned websites that look identical to legitimate organisations. Once login details are entered, scammers gain access immediately.

Small businesses are being targeted heavily, particularly those with publicly listed email addresses and ABNs.

Business Email Compromise

Business email compromise scams are rising sharply. Criminals gain access to an email account and monitor conversations quietly. They then send altered invoices or payment instructions to clients.

This scam is especially dangerous because the email appears genuine. The message comes from a real account and often continues an existing conversation thread.

If your domain hosting, email authentication, or security setup is weak, your business can become an easy target.

Romance and Investment Scams

Online relationship scams continue to drain Australians of life savings. Fraudsters build emotional trust over weeks or months before introducing a “special investment opportunity.”

Many of these now involve cryptocurrency or fake trading platforms. Victims are shown impressive dashboards and fabricated profits before being asked to deposit larger sums.

Once the money is transferred, it disappears.

Fake Online Stores and Social Media Ads

Scammers are launching professional-looking eCommerce stores advertising heavily discounted products. Social media ads often drive traffic to these sites.

Common red flags include:

Extremely low prices
Poor grammar or inconsistent branding
No verifiable Australian contact details
Recently registered domain names

These scams spike during holiday seasons and major sale events.

Government and Tax Impersonation

Scammers continue to impersonate the Australian Taxation Office, Centrelink and other agencies. Messages may threaten arrest, legal action or account suspension.

The pressure tactic is deliberate. Urgency overrides logic.

Government agencies do not demand immediate payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency or bank transfer.

AI-Generated Scams

Artificial intelligence is now being used to generate convincing voice messages and realistic fake profile photos. Deepfake technology is starting to appear in investment scams and executive impersonation fraud.

As AI tools become more accessible, the realism of these scams increases.

How to Protect Yourself and Your Business

Never click on unexpected links in emails or SMS messages
Verify payment changes by phone using a known number
Use strong email authentication and multi-factor authentication
Keep software, hosting platforms and CMS systems updated
Ensure your domain registration details are correct and under your control

For business owners, secure hosting and proper email configuration are not optional. They are foundational.

When your website and email systems are hosted with irresponsible providers or poorly managed overseas servers, you increase your exposure to fraud, downtime and reputational damage.

Your digital infrastructure is either protecting you or exposing you.

The Bottom Line

Scams are not slowing down. They are evolving.

The best defence is awareness combined with strong, ethical and secure digital systems.

If you are unsure about your website security, email configuration, domain ownership or hosting environment, now is the time to review it.

Strong infrastructure prevents small problems from becoming business-threatening disasters.

If you would like a free review of your current hosting, domain setup or email security, contact AusLynx today. We provide secure, Australian-based hosting solutions built on ethical standards and practical protection.