Australia · Reporting
Reporting a crypto scam in Australia: who does what
Understand Australian crypto scam reporting: your payment provider, Scamwatch, ReportCyber, police, and ASIC. Prepare useful records without expecting guaranteed recovery.
Published 4 October 2026 · Updated 4 October 2026 · AI-assisted educational content from Crypto Claim Advisors
The short answer
Contact your payment provider immediately, report the scam to Scamwatch, and use police or ReportCyber for fraud or cybercrime. Keep each report’s reference and purpose clear.
Urgent action and reporting are different
Your bank or exchange is the first place to ask about a payment that has just happened. Identify the payment, say you suspect fraud, and ask what can still be stopped or reviewed. Do not wait for a Scamwatch submission to trigger that conversation. Use contact details in the genuine app or on an independently found website.
If you bought crypto at a real exchange before sending it to a scammer, describe both stages. The AUD payment to the exchange and the subsequent transfer are not necessarily the same dispute. A provider cannot promise to undo a completed transfer merely because you filed a report.
Choose the reporting route for the issue
Moneysmart recommends reporting scams, including investment scams, to Scamwatch. Scamwatch uses reports to spot trends, warn the community, and support disruption. Where money, personal information, or accounts were stolen, Moneysmart also points to local police or ReportCyber.
ASIC has guidance about scams impersonating ASIC and reporting financial misconduct. Follow its current instructions for the specific issue rather than assuming every complaint belongs in one form. A report to a regulator is not a claim that the regulator will reimburse you.
Make follow-up simpler
Save payment receipts, exact domains, contact handles, chat exports, and withdrawal conditions. Write a short timeline and identify actual deposits separately from invented dashboard gains. Note your bank, exchange, and reporting reference numbers. If identity documents were supplied, treat that as an additional risk and seek verified identity-protection help.
Where to act in Australia
Contact the bank or crypto platform you used immediately through a genuine channel. Moneysmart recommends reporting scams to Scamwatch; fraud, theft, and cybercrime can also require local police or ReportCyber. Scamwatch collects information to identify and disrupt scams, rather than promising individual refunds. If identity documents were exposed, consider IDCARE support. Do not wait for one report to be processed before securing accounts.
Checklist
- Contact your bank or exchange.
- Report the scam to Scamwatch.
- Consider police or ReportCyber for fraud and theft.
- Retain all reference numbers.
- Secure accounts and identity documents.
Official sources
Linked for reference. They are not endorsements and we do not control their content.
- ASIC Moneysmart — Report an investment scam
Supports: Scamwatch, ReportCyber, financial institution contact, and identity protection.
- ASIC Moneysmart — Crypto scams
Supports: Fake platforms, exchange impersonation, recovery scams, and crypto loss risks.
- ASIC Moneysmart — What to do if you’ve been scammed
Supports: Payment-provider reporting, urgent protective steps, and support after fraud.
Common questions
Does Scamwatch arrange my refund?+
Its reporting role is to collect information and help identify and disrupt scams. Do not treat submission as a refund application.
Can I report an attempted scam?+
Yes. Moneysmart encourages reporting even when you have not lost money, because it helps identify emerging threats.
Who wrote this. Published by Crypto Claim Advisors as AI-assisted educational content compiled from the official sources above. No named qualified human reviewer is claimed. Illustrations are AI-generated.
Education, not advice. This is not legal, financial or tax advice and recovery is never guaranteed. Crypto Claim Advisors has a commercial interest in claim reviews. Read the editorial policy.
