Protect yourself from remote access scams

Australian Government agencies will never contact individuals asking for remote access to use computers or request funds to be transferred for an investigation.

If you receive a suspicious phone call, we recommend you hang up and report the incident to National Anti-Scam Centre - Scamwatch

To report a cybercrime or cyber security incident through ReportCyber.

How do I stay safe?

• If you've received one of these calls but have not engaged with the scammer, you can report it to National Anti-Scam Centre - Scamwatch.
• If the cybercriminal has accessed your device via Team Viewer, Zoho Assist or AnyDesk, you should report it to ReportCyber and immediately notify your bank. Your financial institution may be able to put a temporary freeze on your financial accounts.
• To prevent further compromise, you should also change passwords on all your important online accounts including banking, email and social media, and turn on multi-factor authentication for extra security.

If you’re in doubt about a call claiming to be from a government agency or Australian business and want to verify its legitimacy, contact the organisation by sourcing their details separately from their website, NOT using the phone number or other details from the incoming call.

More information

Many organisations have dedicated scam pages on their websites alerting the public to the latest scams.

The ASD’s ACSC has launched an interactive quiz, to help Australians spot the warning signs of phishing (scam) messages. Make sure you share the quiz with your colleagues, family and friends.

Read more about remote access and threat-based impersonation scams – including what to do if you have given personal information to a scammer.