How to report a scam text

There are two kinds of reporting, and you should usually do both. The first is telling your mobile carrier by forwarding the message to a spam short code — this lets them block the sender at the network level. The second is reporting to a national scam or cybercrime body, which feeds the intelligence that warns the public and pursues offenders, and matters most if you lost money or handed over details.

The forwarding step is free, takes seconds, and you don't need an account — so even if you do nothing else, do that.

1. 1Don't tap any links or reply. Reporting doesn't require interacting with the scam — and replying only confirms your number is active.
2. 2Screenshot the message so you keep the sender's number or ID, the wording, and any link visible in the text. You'll need these details for the report.
3. 3Note when it arrived and what it claimed to be (a delivery, a toll, your bank, the tax office). That context helps the receiving body match it to a known campaign.
4. 4If you clicked or entered anything, deal with that first — see what to do if you clicked a scam link — then come back and report.

If you tapped a link or gave any information, handle that first with what to do if you clicked a scam link, then report.

Start by forwarding the scam SMS to 7226 (it spells “SPAM” on a keypad) — it's free and works across the major Australian carriers. Then report through the relevant official body:

• Scamwatch — Report the scam to the ACCC's national scam service.
• ReportCyber — Report cybercrime and financial loss to the police.
• ACMA — Report scam texts and spam SMS or calls.
• Forward to 7226 (SPAM) — Forward the scam SMS to short code 7226 so your carrier can block the source.
• IDCARE — Free identity and cyber support if your details were taken.

Use Scamwatch for any scam text, ReportCyber if you lost money or had information stolen (it routes to police), and IDCARE for free help if your identity details were taken. If the text impersonated a specific brand — for example the Australian Taxation Office, Australia Post, or Commonwealth Bank — it's worth forwarding it to that organisation's official phishing-report address too, which you'll find on their genuine website.

In the US, forward the scam text to 7726 (also “SPAM” on a keypad) — every major US carrier supports it free of charge. Then report to the federal bodies:

• FTC — Report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission.
• FBI IC3 — Report internet crime to the FBI's complaint center.
• Forward to 7726 (SPAM) — Forward the scam text to short code 7726 so your carrier can block the source.

Use the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov for any scam text or fraud, and the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov if you lost money or were targeted in a larger scheme. If your bank or payment details were exposed, also call your bank and place a fraud alert with the major credit bureaus.

A good report is specific. Wherever you're reporting, include as much of this as you have:

1. 1The sender — the phone number or alphanumeric sender ID the text came from.
2. 2The full message text, ideally as a screenshot so nothing is lost or auto-corrected.
3. 3Any link in the message (copied as text — don't visit it), and any phone number it told you to call.
4. 4The date and time you received it.
5. 5Whether you lost money or gave any details, and roughly how much, if so — this changes which bodies should be involved.

1. 1Block the number on your phone and delete the message once you've reported it.
2. 2If you forwarded it to your carrier's spam short code, you're done there — no reply means it worked.
3. 3If you lost money or shared banking details, contact your bank straight away and consider a report to police via the cyber channels below.
4. 4Keep your screenshot and any reference number for a few months in case your bank or an investigator asks.