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As scams evolve, so can you
Scams are growing in sophistication every day. We’re here to help raise your awareness and increase your scam prevention knowledge so you can spot scams and protect yourself against them. We all have a role to play.
Latest scams alerts
Stay informed on the latest scams. Get up-to-date information on how scams work and what to look out for so you can protect yourself.
Think twice before you act
Pause
Were you expecting this call, email or offer? Take a second, breathe, and think. Does this feel right? If in doubt, don’t act.
Process
Have you been asked to respond to something urgently such as a delivery notification or request for bank details? Before actioning, take some time to think through whether this is a legitimate piece of correspondence. If you’re unsure, ask someone you can trust.
Proceed
Always navigate to the organisation’s website yourself to log in.
Watch the video —
It only takes one slip up
Scammers are evolving their techniques to become more convincing, with sophisticated emails and carefully crafted imitations.
If something feels wrong, your instinct is probably right.
Make sure you know what to look for. Take a moment to pause and think twice before you act.
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Tips for secure searching, saving and spending
4 minutes
From finding new ways to save, to shopping in the comfort of your home, your device is the gateway to an exciting and convenient marketplace. There are simple steps you can take, and digital features at your fingertips, to keep scammers out of your way.
Woman smiling while sitting in front of computer
Woman smiling while sitting in front of computer
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We’re here to help you
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| Australia: | 02 8550 5666 |
| Overseas: | +61 2 8550 5666 |
Report a scam
If you receive any suspicious emails or communications impersonating Macquarie, please forward them to scams@macquarie.com.
Additional resources
Security and scams
Arm yourself with information on the latest scams and fraud activity. Learn how to protect yourself with useful tips to help you stay safe online and beyond.
Fraud knowledge hub
As fraud grows in sophistication and frequency every day, it’s important to know what to look out for. Find out more about common fraud types and how to protect yourself.
Frequently asked questions
The most common scams share some key characteristics. When it comes to protecting yourself from scams, it’s important to be vigilant around providing personal information or making payments to an account.
Characteristics of a scam:
- you’re contacted out of the blue
- there’s a sense of urgency to act quickly
- it sounds too good to be true.
If you’re being offered a product or investment at a much lower price than normal or promised a return much larger than what you might get from the bank, you may be falling for a scam. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Scammers rely on building trust with their victims before exploiting this relationship for financial gain. Ask yourself if you really know the person you’re talking to. It’s important to seek independent advice around investments.
To find a registered financial adviser, refer to ASIC’s MoneySmart tool at moneysmart.gov.au/
If you suspect that you may have fallen for a scam, you should cease all contact with the party you’ve been communicating with. You should get in contact with the police to report the matter, as well as your bank to assist you with recovering funds.
The Australian government collects data on common scams and provides up to date information online.
To report a scam to us, please call 133 174 (or from international locations, +61 2 8245 4470).
For information about common scams, go to scamwatch.gov.au or refer to ASIC's MoneySmart tool, available at moneysmart.gov.au/scams
To help you better protect yourself, visit our page for the latest scams around at the moment.
We work hard to recover funds lost as a result of fraud or scams. However, money is often moved quickly between multiple accounts, making it difficult to locate and recover funds.
We report these transactions to the receiving bank. For online transactions, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, the receiving bank needs to provide us with updates and help us recover the funds. We’ll provide you with any updates we receive.
Transactions processed with a physical credit or debit card must be disputed through the Visa/Mastercard dispute process. If we’ve raised a card dispute for you, our dispute operations team will send you an email outlining the process.
In addition to our recovery attempts, we recommend you report this matter to the police.
You can also report cybercrime you’ve experienced via the Australian Cyber Security Centre website at cyber.gov.au/report-and-recover.
Online transactions
It can take six to eight weeks or more to receive an outcome on the investigation.
If funds have been transferred to another financial institution, we’re dependent on this institution to provide us with updates and help us recover the funds.
Card transactions
Transactions processed with a credit or debit card must be disputed through the Visa/Mastercard dispute process. This can take up to 90 business days depending on the complexity and if other parties are involved.
You can visit our Help Centre article on disputing a suspicious transaction for more information.
Yes, you can contact the receiving bank or merchant. However, if you aren’t the account holder where funds have been received, please note the receiving bank or merchant may not provide you with any information.
Additional information
This information has been prepared by Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 237502 and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making any financial investment decision or a decision about whether to acquire a product, a person should obtain and review the offer documents relating to that product and also seek independent financial, legal and taxation advice. Lending criteria, fees and T&Cs apply. We make no guarantee concerning the accuracy of data and information contained on third party websites.