Department of Home Affairs scam message examples
Example scam messages
HomeAffairs: Irregularities detected in your visa record. Your visa is scheduled for cancellation today. Resolve the compliance fee now at immi-compliance-check[.]invalid or a detention notice will be issued.
What gives it away:
- Don't use a link in a text about your visa; the Home Affairs Minister says people can confirm whether communication from the Department is genuine by checking their ImmiAccount, which you can open by typing the address yourself
- Threatening cancellation unless you pay today is pressure; Victoria Police lists arrest, visa cancellation and deportation among the lies told in fake authority scams
- A detention threat is meant to make you pay before you think; the Home Affairs Minister advises hanging up or deleting a suspicious message and contacting the Department through its official website
A man identifying as a 'Home Affairs enforcement officer' says your relative has been detained at the airport over a visa breach. He says the matter can be resolved before it is formally recorded if a bond is paid within the hour by cryptocurrency transfer, and asks you to confirm your own passport number to 'link the case'.
What gives it away:
- Queensland Police say police and legitimate government agencies or financial institutions won't ask for your banking details or request payments via gift cards, cryptocurrency or money transfers; a bond demanded by cryptocurrency within the hour fits that pattern
- Asking you to confirm your own passport number 'to link the case' is an identity grab on top of the payment demand; Victoria Police advise not to give or confirm personal details over the phone unless you made the call yourself
- 'Before it is formally recorded' offers a shortcut around official process; hang up and contact the Department through its official website, as the Home Affairs Minister advises
How to check a message you've received
Never tap a link in an unexpected message. Instead, paste the text into the free message checker for an instant verdict, or check a suspicious link with the link & website checker. To verify directly, contact Department of Home Affairs through its official app or the number on its real website — never the details in the message itself.
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Frequently asked questions
Is this Department of Home Affairs message real or a scam?
The messages on this page are defanged examples of Department of Home Affairs impersonation scams — illustrations modelled on common scam patterns, not genuine Department of Home Affairs messages. To judge a specific message you've received, paste it into the free Scam Scanner checker for an instant verdict, or verify it directly through Department of Home Affairs's official app or website.
How can I tell a fake Department of Home Affairs message from a genuine one?
The Home Affairs Minister says anyone who receives suspicious contact about a visa application should immediately hang up or delete the suspicious email or text message and contact the Department, using the details on its official website. The examples below break down the tells that give a fake away — unexpected links, urgency, and requests for payment or details. If anything asks you to click a link or hand over information, treat it as suspicious until you've verified it independently.
What should I do if I already clicked a link or paid?
Act quickly: contact your bank, then follow the step-by-step recovery guide at /what-to-do. It walks you through who to contact — your bank, IDCARE and the right reporting channel — in the order that matters most.