04 8990 0018 - 0489900018: Finance Impersonation Scam Reports

• Spam
• Suspicious
• Scam

Community reports for 04 8990 0018 (0489900018): Multiple contributors flagged impersonation calls and SMS claiming to be Toyota Finance and Power Torque Finance, requesting personal details like date of birth.

Finance Impersonation Scam Reports for 04 8990 0018

Eleven community reports have flagged 04 8990 0018 (also written as 0489900018) for coordinated financial impersonation activity. Contributors describe repeated calls and SMS messages falsely claiming to represent Toyota Finance and Power Torque Finance, with callers systematically requesting sensitive personal information including dates of birth.

The pattern across reports for 0489900018 indicates a sophisticated targeting operation. One contributor was told by a caller claiming to represent PowerTorque Finance that they were a guarantor on four separate car loans, despite never having applied for such financing. When pressed for the caller's full name, they became evasive and disconnected. Another contributor confirmed they contacted the actual Power Torque Finance company directly and confirmed no legitimate contact had been initiated from that organisation to their phone number.

What Callers from 04 8990 0018 Claim

Callers from 04 8990 0018 use multiple impersonation tactics. The most common approach involves automated robotic voices claiming to be Toyota Finance, instructing recipients to input their date of birth via the phone keypad. Several contributors reported receiving these automated prompts, with one describing it as a clear phishing attempt requesting financial identifiers.

Human callers from 0489900018 also work this scam, with at least one report of a woman claiming to represent PowerTorque Finance. These callers reference vehicle financing that the recipient has supposedly taken out, creating false urgency and legitimacy. Contributors who received calls from 04 8990 0018 note that when questioned directly about verifiable details, the callers either refuse to provide their full name or disconnect abruptly.

The SMS variant from this number (0489900018) follows the same pattern, requesting date of birth and claiming to be from Toyota Finance. Samsung devices have independently flagged these messages as fraudulent.

Report Patterns and Timing

Community reports for 04 8990 0018 span multiple channels. Four separate contributors answered live calls from this number, four received robocall attempts (automated or with automated elements), three received voicemail messages, and two received SMS. The earliest report dates to November 2023, with reports continuing through January 2026, indicating sustained fraudulent activity from 0489900018.

Silent call tactics accompany this number's activity. Two contributors specifically reported receiving calls where silence or brief automated greetings were followed by hang-ups, a tactic often used to identify active phone numbers for targeting or to screen for voicemail. One contributor received a voicemail containing only a continuous beeping siren-like sound, another tactic associated with number harvesting operations.

Five separate reports from people who received communications from 04 8990 0018 emphasise the personal information requests. This consistency suggests the scammer is either working from a list or using predictive dialling to contact potential vehicle finance targets, with the immediate pivot to requesting date of birth indicating a well-rehearsed script.

What to Do If You Receive a Call from 04 8990 0018

If 04 8990 0018 calls you:

• Do not: Provide any personal information including date of birth, driver's licence number, or financial details. Do not input numbers via keypad in response to automated prompts
• Do not: Answer or return calls from this number if you don't recognise it. Do not engage with the caller or try to "correct" them
• Do: Let calls go to voicemail immediately
• Do: If you're concerned about actual finance obligations, independently contact the financial company using the phone number on your statements or their official website, never a number provided by the caller
• Do: Block 0489900018 in your phone settings after the first call
• Do: Report repeated calls as harassment

What to Do If You Receive an SMS from 04 8990 0018

If you receive an SMS from 04 8990 0018 or 0489900018:

• Do not: Click any links in the message
• Do not: Reply to the message or provide any information
• Do not: Call any number provided in the SMS
• Do: Report the SMS as spam to your provider and to the ACMA
• Do: Forward the SMS to 0429 999 888 (ACMA's spam reporting number)
• Do: Delete the message and block the number

How to Report 04 8990 0018

If you've received scam communications from 04 8990 0018, report it through these official Australian channels:

• Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) - Lodge a detailed report of the impersonation attempt and any personal information requested
• ACMA (acma.gov.au) - Report spam calls and SMS. ACMA can pursue the service provider and take enforcement action
• Australian Cyber Security Centre at ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au) - If you suspect you've been phished or compromised
• Local police - If money has been lost or personal information has been stolen
• Reverseau - Add your own report here to help other contributors identify this scam pattern

When reporting, include the exact date and time of contact, what the caller claimed, and what information they requested. This helps authorities identify organised scam operations.

Frequently Asked Questions