Free scam checker tools

Got a suspicious text, email or link? These free tools give you an instant verdict — no signup, built for Australians on the same analysis engine as the Scam Scanner app. Start with the scam message checker.

• Scam message checkerPaste any text, email or DM and get an instant verdict — trust score, the exact red flags found, and what to do next. Free, no signup.
• Link & website checkerPaste a link before you tap it: is this website legit? Domain age, risk signals and a plain-English verdict.
• Online store checkerChecking out an unfamiliar shop? Verify a store before you pay — domain history and known fake-store signals.
• Email scam checkerPaste a suspicious email and get a verdict on the sender, the links and the ask.
• Phone number checkerWho called you? Instant on-device checks: valid Australian format, line type, premium-rate call-back cost and overseas-origin warnings.
• QR code checkerReveal where a QR code really points before you scan it — parking meters, menus and letterbox mail included.
• Payment screenshot checkerSelling on Marketplace? Upload a PayID or bank-transfer screenshot and get an instant read on whether it's been doctored.
• Scam statistics AustraliaHow much Australians actually lose to scams — official ACCC figures charted by scam type, age group and contact method, with sources.
• Can you spot a scam? (quiz)Ten real-vs-scam messages, scored out of 10 — learn the tells and challenge the people you want to keep scam-proof.
• Scam message examplesReal, defanged examples of scam texts and emails impersonating Australian brands — Australia Post, Linkt, the ATO, the banks — with the tells explained.
• What to do if you've been scammedA step-by-step recovery walkthrough — who to call first, in what order, based on exactly what happened.
• Australian scam trendsLive data on what Australians are scanning right now — scam types on the rise, most-impersonated brands, and the monthly Scam Scanner Index.

Tools for the moment, guides for the know-how

The tools above answer the question in your hand right now — is this message, link or number a scam. For the understanding that stops the next one, the plain-English guides teach the red flags, and the scam-type explainers break down how each scam works. If a message names a specific organisation — your bank, Australia Post, myGov, a toll operator — the is-this-a-scam brand checks show exactly what the real thing looks like.

Every tool is free to use, with no signup — what you check is analysed securely and never shown to other users. These are automated checks, not legal or financial advice — if you've lost money, contact your bank first, then report it to Scamwatch.