Is this payment text from Afterpay a scam?
No. Afterpay is a legitimate Australian buy-now-pay-later service used at thousands of retailers. Its household-name status is exactly what scammers exploit: fake failed-payment texts, account-suspension threats and refund bait all aim to capture your login and card details on imposter pages. The good news: a few quick checks almost always tell a real Afterpay message from a fake.
Genuine Afterpay links lead to afterpay.com, afterpay.com.au — but a link can be made to look real, so don't go by the link alone. Below is exactly what a real Afterpay message looks like, the scams currently circulating in its name, the red flags that give a fake away, and a real example to compare against. Got a message in front of you? Check it now for an instant verdict.
What a real Afterpay message looks like
Genuine messages from Afterpay link to afterpay.com, afterpay.com.au. Treat a link to any other address as a warning sign.
- Genuine Afterpay messages are only ever delivered inside the Afterpay app; the company does not send SMS from its own short codes.
- Afterpay will never ask you to click a link in an SMS or email to fix a payment.
- Any real payment issue appears as an in-app notification first, with the amount and due date shown inside the official Afterpay app.
- Afterpay never sends messages from random mobile numbers or email addresses claiming to be 'support@afterpay.com.au'.
- Account statements and payment reminders are only accessible after you log in directly via the app or afterpay.com.au.
What Afterpay will never do
- Raise payment problems by SMS (genuine Afterpay messages are delivered inside the Afterpay app, where a real issue shows the amount and due date)
- Ask you to click a link in an SMS or email to fix a payment
- Message you from random mobile numbers
- Ask you to type your login or card details into a page reached from a message (no legitimate payment provider collects card details that way)
Common Afterpay scams
- Scammers send SMS claiming a recent Afterpay purchase has failed and include a look-alike link to 'complete payment'.
- Fraudsters pose as Afterpay support and threaten to suspend your account unless you verify card details on a fake site.
- Emails or texts pretend to be a refund or cash-back offer and direct users to enter their Afterpay login on an imposter domain.
Red flags to watch for
- The message arrives as an SMS even though Afterpay only communicates through its app.
- It contains a shortened or misspelt domain such as afterpay-secure-login[.]example or afterpay-refund[.]example.
- The text creates urgency by saying your order will be cancelled within hours if you do not act.
- It asks you to enter Afterpay login details or card information on the linked page.
- The sender number is a random Australian mobile rather than an official Afterpay channel.
Afterpay scam examples
These composed examples show how scams impersonating Afterpay typically read, with the tells that give each one away. Compare them against anything you've received.
Afterpay: Your instalment of $43.20 was declined. Update your card within 4 hours to avoid late fees and order cancellation: afterpay-billing-fix[.]example
What gives it away:
- Afterpay communicates through its app, not SMS payment links; a real declined instalment appears as an in-app notification with the amount and due date
- The few-hours deadline plus late-fee threat is pressure engineering, not billing
- The link is a lookalike domain and the sender is an ordinary mobile number, not an official Afterpay channel
Subject: Your Afterpay refund is ready. Hi, our records show you were overcharged $126.40 on a recent instalment. Claim your refund before it lapses by signing in at afterpay-refunds[.]example.
What gives it away:
- An unsolicited refund is a classic lure; the sign-in page exists to steal your Afterpay login, not to pay you anything
- Real statements and payment history are only accessible after you log in yourself via the app or afterpay.com.au
- Refunds that 'lapse' unless claimed quickly are an invented mechanic designed to rush you past scrutiny
Not sure about your message?
Paste the suspicious Afterpay text or email and get an instant scam verdict, free.
How to verify a message from Afterpay
Afterpay's real website is afterpay.com and the official app is the Afterpay app. Reach Afterpay through those channels, never through the details inside a message you're unsure about.
- Don't tap the link, reply to the text or open any attachment
- Open the official Afterpay app and check your orders and payment schedule there; a genuine payment problem will be waiting as an in-app notification with the amount and due date
- If you prefer the web, type afterpay.com.au into your browser yourself and log in to review payments
- If you're still unsure, use the in-app Help or Chat function rather than replying to any SMS or email
If you have been scammed in Afterpay's name
Clicked the link, paid, or shared details? Act now. The first hour matters more than anything else you do later.
- If you entered card details, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card so it can block the card and dispute any charges
- Change your Afterpay password straight away via the app or by typing afterpay.com.au yourself, and change it anywhere else you reused it
- Watch the linked card and your Afterpay order history for purchases you did not make, and raise anything odd through the in-app Help or Chat
- If you shared identity documents, contact IDCARE (idcare.org) for free identity support
- Report the scam to Scamwatch and ReportCyber using the links below, and forward the scam SMS to 7226 so carriers can block the sender
Where to report a scam impersonating Afterpay
Received — or fell for — a message impersonating Afterpay? Report it. It helps authorities and carriers shut the campaign down for everyone who gets the next one.
- Scamwatch — Report the scam to the ACCC's national scam service.
- ReportCyber — Report cybercrime and financial loss to the police.
- ACMA — Complain about scam texts and spam SMS, email or calls.
- Forward to 7226 (SCAM) — Forward the scam SMS to short code 7226 so carriers can block the source.
- IDCARE — Free identity and cyber support if your details were taken.
Latest Afterpay scams in 2026
Afterpay impersonation runs on the rhythm of online shopping: failed-instalment texts that surge whenever people are buying, refund and cash-back emails between sales events, and 'verify your card or lose your account' pressure from fake support. Because so many Australians genuinely have an instalment due at any given moment, a declined-payment text lands plausibly, which is the whole trick. What never changes is the mechanic: a link, a countdown and a page asking for your login or card. The defence is structural rather than case-by-case: Afterpay talks to you inside its app, so any payment demand arriving by SMS or email link can be dismissed and checked in the app instead.
Frequently asked questions
I got a text from Afterpay with a link — is it a scam?
Yes. Afterpay never sends SMS payment links; any such message is fake. Open the Afterpay app directly to check your orders.
How do I know if an Afterpay email is real?
Only emails that arrive after you have logged into the official Afterpay app or website are genuine. Never click links in unsolicited emails.
What should I do if I clicked a fake Afterpay link?
Change your Afterpay password immediately via afterpay.com.au, monitor your linked cards, and report the message at scamwatch.gov.au.
What is Afterpay's real website?
Afterpay's real websites are afterpay.com and afterpay.com.au, and day-to-day account access happens through the official Afterpay app. Type the address yourself rather than following a link; domains that wrap the Afterpay name in words like 'secure', 'billing' or 'refund' are imposter pages.
How do I report an Afterpay scam?
Forward scam texts to 7226 (spells SCAM) so your carrier can block the sender, and report the message to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) so the National Anti-Scam Centre can track the campaign. If you lost money, also report it to ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au) and call your bank first so it can act on the card.
Related scam types
Scams impersonating Afterpay usually fit one of these patterns. Learn how each works:
Related brands
Other fintech names scammers impersonate — check a message from one:
Sources
- Text or SMS scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- Phishing scams: how scammers pose as trusted organisations (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- Report a scam (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice — always verify with Afterpay through an official channel.