Monday Scam Brief — 31 August 2026

Scams Awareness Week ran from 24 to 28 August. The National Anti-Scam Centre and Scamwatch put four Australians’ stories in front of the half-year numbers, under the theme No one’s just a number. ASIC also added 64 names to the Moneysmart investor alert list, including three impersonations of real Australian companies.

Scamwatch did not publish a fresh news-and-alerts item after 17 August. Older official warnings on fake purchase-callback texts and ATO / myGov impersonation remain current — and two of this week’s Awareness Week stories match those patterns.

Official alerts this week

National Anti-Scam Centre: Scams Awareness Week 2026

Source: Scamwatch, Scams Awareness Week and the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC6/26, 24 August 2026)

Australians made 91,767 reports to Scamwatch in the first six months of 2026, with $156.6 million reported stolen. Combined with reports to police through ReportCyber, that was $554.1 million across 122,550 reports — an 11 per cent drop in reports and a 1 per cent rise in reported losses. Investment scams still caused the largest Scamwatch losses, $80.4 million. Buying-and-selling scams had the most reports that involved money stolen.

The Centre asked four people to describe how they were caught:

Lindy called a number in a fake “you bought a laptop” text, thought she was speaking to PayPal, and read back a verification code.
Mannu paid a $20,000 granny-flat deposit through a payment link that looked like it came from his builder. It did not.
Nikita sent $5,000 after weeks of messages from someone posing as a British pilot whose son had been in an accident. She was blocked the next day.
Susanne transferred almost $26,000 after urgent texts that appeared to be from her daughter. They were not.

ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said being scammed is not a test of intelligence. Criminals use pressure, impersonation, psychology and AI. The standing advice is unchanged: Stop. Check. Protect. Report even if you have not lost money.

ASIC Moneysmart investor alert list — new names this week

Source: ASIC Moneysmart investor alert list

Between 24 and 28 August 2026 ASIC added 64 names. Most are unlicensed crypto- or “AI” trading brands on throwaway domains. Three impersonate real Australian companies:

Impersonation of EFP Wealth Pty Ltd (AFSL 376420) at efpwealthgroup.com
Impersonation of Arb Associates Pty Ltd at onetrade.ltd
Impersonation of Swift Investments (Aust) Pty Ltd at swifvest.com

Unlicensed names added this week include a cluster of Yepbit sites (yepbit.com, yepbii.com, yepbit31.com, yepbjj.com, ypcec.com), Future Wallet, Markets Org, Vorisp, Trade Pilot AI and a run of lookalike “BTC” and “AI bot” domains. Being on the list means ASIC says the operator is not licensed to offer investments in Australia. The list is not complete: a missing name is not a green light. Check the live list and ASIC’s professional registers before you send money, and treat unexpected super, wealth or crypto offers as hostile until you have verified them yourself.

Still active official warnings

Fake purchase-callback texts

Source: Scamwatch, 14 July 2026

A message claims you bought something you did not buy and tells you to call a number to cancel. The number is the scammer. Hang up and check any real purchase through the store’s official app or website. Do not read back a one-time code to anyone who rang you.

ATO and myGov impersonation

Source: Scamwatch and the ATO, 26 June 2026

Emails, texts and calls pretending to be from the ATO or myGov are still circulating. The ATO will not demand urgent payment by gift card, crypto or a transfer to a “safe account”. Sign in only through ato.gov.au or my.gov.au that you typed yourself. The ATO’s own scam alerts page still features a July 2026 fake appointment-email warning.

What to do

Stop. Unexpected messages that rush you to pay, call, buy gift cards or share codes are a warning sign. Pause.
Check. Use a phone number or website you already know, not the one in the message. For investments, check ASIC’s registers and the investor alert list.
Protect. If money or details have gone, contact your bank first, then report it.

How to report

Scamwatch (ACCC): scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam
Report a cybercrime to police via ReportCyber: cyber.gov.au
Identity and recovery support: IDCARE on 1800 595 160

This brief is a public-interest summary of official Australian sources. It is not legal, financial or tax advice. Always rely on the original agency page linked above.