Phone numbers reported as scam by the Australian community, aggregated across all states and territories.
Scam calls are calls where the caller is trying to steal money, personal details, or access to accounts. The ACMA regulates telecommunications fraud in Australia, and Scamwatch (ACCC) tracks reported losses. The numbers listed here have been flagged by community members who identified fraudulent intent - typically impersonation of government agencies, banks, or service providers.
Scam differs from spam in that there is a deliberate attempt to deceive. Some numbers start out classified as suspicious and move to scam once enough people report the same behaviour. Most scam activity in the dataset originates from mobile (04) and VoIP-based numbers, which are commonly used for caller ID spoofing.
National Snapshot
Total Reports
243,940
Unique Numbers
150,340
Most Affected State
NSW
Top Prefix
48
Monthly Change
+10%
Scam reports represent 32% of all 766,213 community reports, making it the largest category in the dataset, followed by Uncertain and Spam.
Last updated:
Scam Reports by State
How scam reports are spread across Australian states. Counts are absolute - population size varies significantly between states.
Risk levels are calculated from how many reports a number has and what people classified it as.
Common Patterns in Scam Activity
Scam campaigns in Australia tend to follow seasonal patterns. Activity concentrates during tax season (April-July) and around the holidays (November-December), with numbers typically cycling through short bursts before going quiet.
Government impersonation - ATO, Medicare, Centrelink, and Services Australia spoofing. Usually involves threats of arrest or demands for immediate payment
Bank fraud - Calls posing as bank security, asking for account details, card numbers, or remote access
Delivery scams - Fake missed-parcel notifications that lead to phishing pages or premium-rate numbers
Tech support scams - Callers claiming to be from NBN, Telstra, or Microsoft, requesting remote desktop access
Investment fraud - Unsolicited calls pushing crypto or high-return schemes, often after initial contact via social media
Most scam activity in the dataset comes from mobile (04) and VoIP numbers, which are easy to spoof. These numbers typically collect a burst of reports over a few days, then go inactive.
What the Data Shows
243,940 community reports across 150,340 unique numbers form the basis of this dataset.
New South Wales contributes the most reports (43% of total). Population differences affect absolute counts - see state breakdown for context.
The 02 prefix dominates among top-reported numbers, followed by 08 and 1800.
Monthly volume has increased by 10% compared to the prior month.
Scam accounts for 32% of all community reports, making it the largest category on the platform.
For official guidance, refer to Scamwatch (ACCC) and ACMA. Reporting on Reverseau helps surface patterns faster for other Australians.
Monthly Trends
Reports increased by 10% in March 2026 compared to the month before. 1,809 unique numbers were reported.
Peak month: July 2025 (2,697 reports)
2.1k
May
2.4k
Jun
2.7k
Jul
2.2k
Aug
2.0k
Sep
2.1k
Oct
2.3k
Nov
1.4k
Dec
1.9k
Jan
1.9k
Feb
2.1k
Mar
502
Apr
* Current month is incomplete - reports still pending review may not yet be reflected.
Category Comparison
Scam Spam Suspicious
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Most Reported Scam Numbers
By prefix: 02 (12), 08 (3), 1800 (2) among the most reported.
A scam call is when someone calls you and deliberately tries to trick you into handing over money, personal details, or access to your accounts. Common tactics in Australia include pretending to be from the ATO, Medicare, a bank, or a delivery company. The ACCC’s Scam Activity Report estimated Australians lost $2.74 billion to scams in 2023. Reverseau’s dataset currently holds 243,940 community-classified scam reports across 150,340 unique numbers.
How do I report a scam phone number in Australia?
You can report to Scamwatch (ACCC) at scamwatch.gov.au, to the ACMA at acma.gov.au, and on community platforms like Reverseau. The more reports a number gets, the faster it gets flagged for other people. Reverseau’s 243,940 scam reports have come from contributors across all Australian states.
What are the most common phone scam types in Australia?
ATO impersonation, bank fraud alerts, NBN/internet scams, parcel delivery fraud, and remote access scams. These tend to ramp up during tax season (April-July) and around the holidays (November-December). Based on Reverseau’s dataset, New South Wales generates the most scam reports nationally, and the 02 prefix dominates among top-reported numbers.
How can I tell if a phone call is a scam?
Watch for unsolicited requests for personal or financial details, pressure to act right now, threats of arrest or legal action, and requests to pay via gift cards or crypto. Real organisations won’t ask for sensitive information over an unsolicited call. You can check any Australian number against Reverseau’s community reports at reverseau.com.
Why are scam calls increasing in Australia?
Cheap VoIP calling, automated diallers, and caller ID spoofing make it easy to run large-scale campaigns from anywhere. The shift to digital banking and government services has also given scammers more impersonation options. Reverseau’s data shows a 10% increase in scam reports this month compared to last. ACMA and the carriers are rolling out call-blocking tech, but scam operators keep adapting.
All data on this page comes from community reports and reflects contributor experiences, not legal findings. Classifications follow Reverseau’s methodology, built on transparency and community consensus. For official advice, refer to the ACMA and Scamwatch (ACCC).
Data coverage: 2014-Present · Last reviewed: · Source: Community-submitted reports