Name & Shame
Scammers

otherNational

Instagram Terminally Ill Dog Donation Scam

I'm in Australia. I came across an Instagram account calling itself Lisa the black dog. It posts videos of a black dog and claims the dog is a lymphoma warrior that needs chemo. The bio asks people to donate $6,000. Any amount helps, it says. The videos are stolen. They were taken from a real dog owner's account and reused to tell a completely different story and collect money. The fake account deletes comments that point this out. I have not donated. I am posting this so other Australians do not. Do not send money. Do not click a donation link. Do not join a GoFundMe if they post one. Report the account on Instagram. If you already paid, contact your bank or PayPal and report it to Scamwatch. Anyone who later offers to recover the money for a fee is another scam.

otherNSW

Registration Pty Ltd (reg.com.au)

Registration Pty Ltd is NOT a scam. I originally asked my bookkeeper about whether i should pay this company review letter and she said it would probably be cheaper than my accountant. she was right, and i get to store my solvency docs in my dashboard with reg.com.au too. I just wanted people to know it's not a scam and i'm glad i use them.

otherNational

Fake CBA Fraud Team Callback Scam

I'm in Australia. I got an email that looked like it was from CommBank (CBA). It asked me to review a weird change on my account by calling a number it said was the CBA fraud team. I called that number. It sounded like the bank. I gave them my credit card details. As soon as I realised it was a scam I used the real CommBank number on the back of my card — not the number in the email — and froze, locked and disputed the charge. They still got a $5,000 charge through on the card. Because I authorised it on the call, I do not know if I will get it back. CommBank will never email you a fraud-team number to call. They will never ask for your card number, PIN or a one-time code over the phone. Hang up. Call 13 2221 or use the CommBank app. Do not call any number in a CommBank email or text. If you already did, lock the card in the app, call the real fraud line, and report it to Scamwatch. Anyone who later offers to recover the money for a fee is another scam.

investmentNational

CustodianX CFD Trading Scam

I'm in Australia. I got pulled into CustodianX (custodianx.net). They pitch CFD trading with a flashy dashboard and an AI-driven platform, and they promise huge profits. The dashboard looks legit. It is not. You never get your money back. I refused to make a bigger deposit. Weeks later they came back and tried every trick they had to get me to send cash or crypto to their wallets. Do not send money to CustodianX. Do not transfer crypto to wallets they give you. If you already paid, contact your bank or exchange and report it to Scamwatch. Anyone who later offers to recover the money for a fee is another scam.

business servicesVIC

Australia Website Solution Money-Back Scam

I'm in Victoria. We hired Australia Website Solution (australiawebsitesolution.com.au) to build a website for our business. We also paid extra for an SEO content package and extra again to have our ERP system integrated. Their Google ads still push a Basic Website Package from $199 with a 100% money-back guarantee. The main site lists the same guarantee on packages from $1,660 up. For the first four to six months we had regular weekly calls and it seemed normal. A finished, usable website never arrived. After more than four months we asked for the refund they advertised. They refused, saying they had invested time. When we asked for the guarantee terms, the small print only allowed a refund within 15 days of purchase. That was not made clear when they sold the 100% money-back line. They said they would escalate it internally. Nothing happened. On a follow-up call we were left on hold for over two hours while someone claimed they were checking with accounts. Then the calls stopped. Emails to support@australiawebsitesolution.com.au went unanswered. Our work number started getting blocked. If we call from a new number and give the business name, they hang up. Payments were requested by direct bank transfer to Soltech Digital Ltd — a different name to Australia Website Solution on the invoices and the website. Their listed address also changed from a specific St Kilda address to a generic Melbourne CBD one. Do not pay Australia Website Solution up front. Do not send a bank transfer to Soltech Digital Ltd. Their ads quote (03) 6185 3550. If you already paid, dispute it with your bank and report it to Scamwatch. Anyone who later offers to recover the money for a fee is another scam.

online shoppingNational

Muse AI OptixAI Subscription Scam

I'm in Australia. I downloaded an app called Muse AI after I saw a Venom-style AI transformation video. The paywall said the first week was USD 0.99, then USD 19.99 every week after that. I paid AUD 1.49, generated a couple of videos, and went straight to cancel. There is no cancel button. There is no subscription setting. The only option is to email support, and the address the app copies is optixai.help@outlook.com — a random Outlook inbox, not a company domain. The app screen says Muse AI version 1.2.2. I emailed that address on 18 August 2026 and asked them to cancel. I also called Westpac. They said they could not put a stop on it because it was a card charge, not a direct debit. Do not tap the $0.99 / 90 percent off promo in Muse AI. If you already paid, email optixai.help@outlook.com so you have a paper trail, then dispute the charge with your bank or card issuer. Anyone who later offers to recover the money for a fee is another scam.