Is Scamwarden private?

Yes. The checkers never ask you to paste the message or share any personal details. Your answers are scored on your own device and are not sent or stored anywhere.

Can Scamwarden tell me for certain whether something is a scam?

No tool can. Scamwarden checks for the warning signs that appear in most scams, then gives you a risk read-out and safe next steps. When in doubt, verify through an official contact you look up yourself.

What should I do if I already paid or shared details?

Contact your bank straight away, then report the scam to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au. If personal or identity details were shared, contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160 (idcare.org.au), Australia's free identity and cyber support service.

Scamwarden is a free service of Digital Safety & Recovery Australia (DSRA), an Australian not-for-profit (ABN 43 599 714 077, NSW) working toward ACNC charity registration. The tools are built and hosted in-kind by Alien IT Solutions, and the advice follows guidance published by Scamwatch (ACCC) and the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

Not sure if it's a scam? Check it calmly, in about two minutes.

Scamwarden asks you plain-English questions about a suspicious message and works out how risky it looks. You never paste the message itself, and nothing you answer leaves your device. Free, and built for Australians.

For you, or a parent you help

Is this message a scam?

A calm 9-question check for suspicious texts and emails: "Hi Mum" messages, fake toll and delivery notices, myGov and bank impersonations, prize offers.

Check a text or email

For your business

Is this email a scam?

A 10-question check for business email compromise: invoices with new bank details, urgent boss-payment requests, login links and unexpected attachments.

Check a business email

For a call you just got

Who called me?

An 8-question check for suspicious or missed calls: fake bank and ATO callers, remote-access requests, robocalls and one-ring overseas numbers.

Check a phone call

Your privacy: none of the checkers ask you to type or paste the message. You answer yes-or-no questions about its patterns, your device does the scoring, and nothing you answer is stored or sent anywhere.

How it works

Answer pattern questions. Scams reuse a small set of patterns: urgency, odd payment methods, look-alike senders, secrecy. You report what you see; the message itself stays with you.
Get a risk read-out. Some signs are minor. Some are near-certain giveaways. The read-out tells you which you've got and how seriously to take them.
Follow safe next steps. Every result tells you who to phone, what not to click, how to report it, and what to do if money or details have already been given.

The patterns and advice follow public guidance from Scamwatch (run by the ACCC's National Anti-Scam Centre) and the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

Learn the patterns

Phishing email examplesThe five scam-email patterns Australians see most, decoded: myGov refunds, missed deliveries, bank alerts, password expiries, changed invoice bank details.
How to avoid scams (Scam Help)Our sister advice site: what to do in the first five minutes of a suspected scam, and the six habits that stop scams before they start.

If something has already gone wrong

Acting quickly matters more than feeling embarrassed. Scams catch careful people every day.

Your bank: first, straight away.If money was sent or card details shared, call your bank now. They can sometimes stop or recall a transfer.
Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au)Report the scam to the National Anti-Scam Centre. Reporting protects other people, and near-misses count too.
ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au)For cybercrime affecting a business (compromised email, stolen credentials, paid fake invoices), report to the Australian Signals Directorate's ReportCyber.
IDCARE (1800 595 160, idcare.org.au)If personal or identity details were shared, IDCARE is Australia's free national identity and cyber support service.

Official help and reporting

These are the official Australian services. They are free and they are the ones to trust:

Scamwatch: types of scamsThe National Anti-Scam Centre's rundown of the scams going around in Australia.
ACMA: phone and SMS scamsThe communications regulator on scam calls and scam text messages.
Australian Cyber Security Centre: so you think you have been hackedStep-by-step recovery guidance for a compromised account or device.
Moneysmart: financial scamsASIC's guidance on money, banking and investment scams.
eSafety Commissioner: reportWhere to report cyberbullying, image-based abuse and other serious online harm.

Common questions

Is Scamwarden private?: Yes. The checkers never ask you to paste the message or share any personal details. Your answers are scored on your own device and are not sent or stored anywhere.
Can Scamwarden tell me for certain whether something is a scam?: No tool can. Scamwarden checks for the warning signs that appear in most scams, then gives you a risk read-out and safe next steps. When in doubt, verify through an official contact you look up yourself.
What should I do if I already paid or shared details?: Contact your bank straight away, then report the scam to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au. If personal or identity details were shared, contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160 (idcare.org.au), Australia's free identity and cyber support service.
Who runs Scamwarden?: Scamwarden is a free service of Digital Safety & Recovery Australia (DSRA), an Australian not-for-profit (ABN 43 599 714 077, NSW) working toward ACNC charity registration. The tools are built and hosted in-kind by Alien IT Solutions, and the advice follows guidance published by Scamwatch (ACCC) and the Australian Cyber Security Centre.