The National Anti-Scam Centre is urging Australians to check twice when shopping, gifting or travelling, as scammers know Australians will be caught up in the rush of the holiday season.
The National Anti-Scam Centre expects criminals to try to capitalise on the holiday season through shopping and delivery scams; scratchie and prize scams; and travel, and gambling scams.
Take care when searching for Christmas gifts and Boxing Day sales bargains online and be on alert for fake retail sites designed to mimic well-known brands and fraudulent sellers on social media and online marketplaces. Knowing Australians will be sending and receiving gifts, scammers issue emails or texts about missed deliveries or unpaid fees, directing people to websites created to harvest card details.
We are seeing the resurgence of ‘hard copy’ scams. Financial losses to scratching scams have increased, with scammers exploiting cost of living pressures by promoting fake travel giveaways, instant prizes and low cost ‘wins’ that promise discounted holidays. Scammers send out fake scratch-off cards that promise a prize, on the condition that the ‘winner’ pays a fee. People have reported to Scamwatch of receiving these scams addressed to them through registered post.
“We strongly encourage people to stop, check and protect before paying for things or providing personal information,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
“Scammers know that people are busy, distracted and spending more money at this time of year. They use messages that look routine or urgent because they know people are trying to stay organised.”
Example of a scratchie scam sent to people through registered post.
With many households preparing to drive interstate for the summer holidays, the National Anti-Scam Centre is also bracing for a possible increase in road toll scams. The messages in toll scams often state there is an overdue toll payment and push people to use a link that appears official.
As many Australians enjoy spare time over Christmas and the New Year, the National Anti-Scam Centre urges people to be wary of online gambling scams, known as ‘scambling’. This emerging scam type involves scammers creating unlicensed gambling apps and websites that appear legitimate. They allow people to deposit or transfer money but then refuse to pay out any ‘winnings’. In some cases, people may be unknowingly involved in money laundering.
Australians made 21,255 reports of online shopping scams to the National Anti-Scam Centre’s Scamwatch service between January and October 2025. During the same period, Scamwatch received 5,690 reports of parcel delivery scams, 884 toll scams, 2,514 travel, prizes and lottery scams, including 314 reports of scratchie scams, and 273 reports of gambling scams.
More people lose money to shopping scams than any other scam type with $9.4 million in reported losses between January and October this year. Of the reports to Scamwatch, the shopping products with the most reported losses were vehicles, shipping containers, concert and sporting tickets, pets, and clothes.
In this same period, there were $88,440 reported losses to parcel delivery scams, $8,392 losses to road toll scams, $842,677 to travel, prize, and lottery scams – including $201,343 to scratchie scams – and $2 million in reported losses to online gambling scams.
“We ask people to please share scam prevention information and warnings with friends and family,” Ms Lowe said.
“As scammers ramp up their efforts over the holiday season, we also encourage people to report to Scamwatch. Every report, no matter how small, helps us build our intelligence to disrupt criminal networks, track scam activity, and protect the community.”
The Scamwatch website has resources for people to provide support to loved ones who may be targeted by scammers, including red flag signs, conversation starters and the manipulation tactics deployed by scammers.
The National Anti-Scam Centre’s holiday season checklist:
- Treat unexpected messages with caution. Toll operators, courier services and government agencies will not demand urgent payment through a text message link.
- Visit the official website or app directly rather than clicking any link.
- For interstate travel, check your toll account through your provider’s verified app or website to confirm if anything is outstanding.
- For parcel deliveries, use tracking numbers only through the official website of the courier you are expecting a parcel from.
- For online shopping, buy only from trusted retailers and be cautious of products promoted with unusually low prices or limited-time social media ads.
- For scratching promotions, be wary of offers promising holidays, high-value prizes or guaranteed wins. Check whether the promotion is run by a ‘licensed lottery operator’ in your state.
- Don’t pay a fee to collect winnings or a prize. Legitimate lotteries don’t ask you to do this.
- If a friend or family member sends you a message about a prize on social media, check with them outside of social media that they sent it.
- Never share personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited message.
- Use multi-factor authentication on your accounts and ensure your device software is up to date.
- Online gambling providers must be licensed to operate in Australia. If an app or website doesn’t exist on the ACMA’s register of licensed interactive gambling providers, it’s an illegal operation.
- Australians are urged to independently check that an organisation or charity offering financial assistance is real and never provide personal identifying information through social media or email. To confirm you’re dealing with a real charity, check the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission charity register.
Learn how to Stop. Check. Protect. To stay safe from scams:
STOP. Always take a moment before giving your money or personal information to anyone. Scammers will create a sense of urgency to pressure you into acting quickly. Don’t rush to make decisions about money or sharing personal details.
What to do:
- Say no, hang up, or delete suspicious messages
- Take time to think before responding to unexpected requests
- Don’t let anyone pressure you into immediate action
- Trust your instincts if something feels wrong
CHECK. Make sure the person or organisation you’re dealing with is real. Scammers pretend to be from organisations you know and trust. Always verify who you’re really dealing with before taking any action.
What to do:
- Contact the person or organisation directly using phone numbers or email addresses you find on their official website or app
- Research investment opportunities or offers through official sources like ASIC
- Get a second opinion from family, friends, or professionals
PROTECT. Act quickly it something feels wrong. The sooner you act, the better you can protect yourself and others from scammers.
What to do:
- Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve lost money or shared financial details
- Contact IDCARE (www.idcare.org or call 1800 595 160) if you want support to recover – they can help you create a plan to the limit damage of scams
- Report to Scamwatch (www.scamwatch.gov.au) to help protect others
- Report to police (www.cyber.gov.au)
- Change passwords and security details if you think they’ve been compromised
- Monitor your bank statements and credit reports for unusual activity
- Report the scam to the impersonated organisation and platform where the scam is happening
- Being scammed can feel overwhelming. Support is available at Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
