Is this text or email from ASIC a scam?
No. ASIC, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, is the Commonwealth regulator of companies and financial services. Scammers borrow that authority in reverse: fake ASIC emails push bogus investment schemes, sell 'recovery' of money already lost, and harvest card details through lookalike licence-verification forms. The good news: a few quick checks almost always tell a real ASIC message from a fake.
Genuine ASIC links lead to asic.gov.au — but a link can be made to look real, so don't go by the link alone. Below is how genuine ASIC contact usually works, the scams commonly run in its name, the red flags that give a fake away, and an example to compare against. Got a message in front of you? Check it now for an instant verdict.
What a real ASIC message looks like
Genuine messages from ASIC link to asic.gov.au. Treat a link to any other address as a warning sign.
- ASIC says scammers can use technology to make an email appear to come from a legitimate ASIC address, so an address alone is not proof; confirm unsolicited contact by hanging up and calling back on the number listed on ASIC's website
- ASIC says to reach its websites through an independent search or a trusted source, and not to trust hyperlinks or social media ads claiming to link to them
- ASIC says an email is probably a scam if it asks you to make a payment to receive a refund or release funds or assets, or to provide your credit card or bank details directly by email or phone
- ASIC says to check whether an organisation is licensed on the ASIC Professional Registers before investing; do that yourself rather than through a form or link someone sends you
- ASIC says it may contact you about its enquiries or investigations and may ask for personal details, and that its staff won't mind waiting while you confirm the contact is legitimate
What a genuine ASIC contact shouldn't do
- Send unsolicited emails or SMS asking for money or personal bank details
- Charge an upfront fee to recover money you lost to a scam; no legitimate regulator sells fund recovery
- Ask you to verify or pay for an AFSL number through a link; licence checks are something you do yourself on asic.gov.au
- Promote or endorse an investment opportunity; no legitimate regulator markets investments
- Ask for your login credentials or credit-card details to 'protect' or 'release' your funds
Common ASIC scams
- Fraudsters send emails claiming to be ASIC that promote fake investment schemes and ask recipients to transfer money into an offshore account
- Scammers use ASIC branding in messages that promise to recover lost funds if the recipient pays an upfront fee or provides login credentials
- Impersonators create lookalike websites that mimic ASIC forms and request credit-card details to 'verify' an investment licence
Red flags to watch for
- The message contains a link that does not end in asic.gov.au and urges immediate action on an investment
- The sender asks you to verify or pay for an Australian Financial Services Licence number instead of telling you to check it yourself on asic.gov.au
- The email claims ASIC has frozen your money or detected suspicious activity and requires bank details to release funds
- The message threatens fines or legal action unless you click a link or call a number not listed on asic.gov.au
- The email address is from a domain such as asic-secure-login[.]example or asic-recovery[.]example rather than asic.gov.au
ASIC scam examples
These composed examples show how scams impersonating ASIC typically read, with the tells that give each one away. Compare them against anything you've received.
Subject: ASIC Compliance Alert. Our monitoring has flagged your investment account as linked to an unlicensed operator. To prevent your funds being frozen, confirm your AFSL details and account credentials today at asic-verification[.]example before enforcement action proceeds.
What gives it away:
- A licence or credential check is something you run yourself; ASIC says to check the ASIC Professional Registers before investing, and to reach its websites through an independent search or trusted source, not a hyperlink
- ASIC says it does not ask you for a password or one-time security pin, and that an email is probably a scam if it asks you to provide your credit card or bank details directly by email or phone
- A frozen-funds threat with a same-day deadline is pressure; ASIC says it does not rush, pressure or threaten you into communicating with it
After losing money to an investment scheme, you find a professional-looking 'ASIC Asset Recovery Unit' site at asic-recovery-portal[.]example. It displays ASIC logos, quotes your case, and says your lost funds have been located; you just need to pay a processing fee by card and upload your banking login to release them.
What gives it away:
- ASIC says it does not request payment to recover or release funds, goods or services stolen by scammers, and describes offers to help scam victims recover stolen money as recovery scams
- ASIC says imposter websites can be very convincing, with information and links copied from its actual websites, so a professional look proves nothing; it advises not trusting hyperlinks or social media ads claiming to link to ASIC's websites
- 'Your funds have been located' is bait; ASIC says it is not involved in the creation of bank or investment accounts and does not collect payments to enable the release of funds or assets
Not sure about your message?
Paste the suspicious ASIC text or email and get an instant scam verdict, free.
How to verify a message from ASIC
- Do not click the link, reply, or call any number in the message
- Type asic.gov.au into your browser yourself and run any licence or registration check directly through ASIC Connect
- If the message mentions enforcement action, look for it on ASIC's own media-release pages at asic.gov.au; genuine actions are published there
- Still unsure? Use the official contact forms on asic.gov.au to ask ASIC directly, never contact details supplied by the message
If you have been scammed in ASIC's name
Clicked the link, paid, or shared details? Act now. The first hour matters more than anything else you do later.
- If you shared card or bank details or sent money, call your bank immediately, block the card and ask about disputing or recalling the payment
- If you entered any password, change it on the real site straight away and everywhere else you reused it
- If you shared identity documents, contact IDCARE (idcare.org) for free identity support
- Be alert for follow-up 'fund recovery' offers; anyone contacting you to recover the loss for a fee is running the second stage of the same scam
- Report the scam to Scamwatch and ReportCyber using the links below, and forward any scam SMS to 7226
Where to report a scam impersonating ASIC
Received — or fell for — a message impersonating ASIC? 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.
ASIC scam activity in 2026
ASIC impersonation currently runs on two tracks. The first is investment-flavoured phishing: enforcement-style emails and lookalike licence-check forms that use the regulator's name to make a fake scheme feel vetted, or to frighten investors into 'verifying' credentials. The second is the recovery scam, which targets people who have already lost money and offers to get it back for an upfront fee, sometimes quoting real ASIC case language for credibility. What stays constant is that every fake ends in a request ASIC never makes: money, credentials or card details through a link. The habit that defeats both tracks is doing every check yourself, directly on asic.gov.au, and treating unsolicited 'help' as the next attack.
Frequently asked questions
I received an email claiming to be from ASIC about an investment – is it a scam?
If the email came from any address other than @asic.gov.au or contains a link that is not on asic.gov.au, treat it as a scam. ASIC does not send unsolicited investment offers.
How do I check if an investment adviser is licensed by ASIC?
Go directly to asic.gov.au, open the ASIC Connect search, and enter the adviser’s name or AFSL number yourself – never click a link in an email.
What should I do if I clicked a link in a suspicious ASIC-branded email?
Stop using that device for banking, scan it with reputable security software, and report the incident at cyber.gov.au or scamwatch.gov.au.
ASIC never sends SMS messages – is that true?
ASIC does not use SMS for enforcement notices or investment alerts; any such text is fraudulent.
What is ASIC's real website?
ASIC's only official website is asic.gov.au, and its consumer guidance lives on moneysmart.gov.au. Licence and registration checks are done through the ASIC Connect portal on asic.gov.au. Any other domain claiming to be ASIC, however official it looks, is not the regulator.
How do I report an ASIC impersonation scam?
Report it to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) so the National Anti-Scam Centre can track the campaign, and forward any scam SMS to 7226. If you lost money or handed over credentials, also report it to ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au) and contact your bank immediately.
Scam message examples
Related scam types
Scams impersonating ASIC usually fit one of these patterns. Learn how each works:
Related brands
Other government names scammers impersonate — check a message from one:
Sources
- Investment scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- Phishing scams: how scammers pose as trusted organisations (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- Email scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- Scams impersonating ASIC (ASIC)
- Scam alert: Beware scammers impersonating ASIC requesting payments to release funds or assets (ASIC)
- Scam alert: Scammers are impersonating ASIC in text messages (ASIC)
- Scam alert: Scammers impersonating ASIC in email spear phishing scam (ASIC)
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice — always verify with ASIC through an official channel.