How safe is your business from scams

From fake invoices and scam calls to fraudulent social media ads and texts, scammers are targeting Victorian businesses in ever-evolving ways.

Victorians have lost $4.1 million to false billing scams alone in 2025, proving that dodging fraud can be a full-time job.

Scams Awareness Week (Monday 25 August to Friday 29 August 2025) is our chance to change that. This collaborative effort includes government, business, community groups, consumer protection groups, education organisations and individuals, all working to promote scam awareness.

Everyone can help to make sure that Australians stay safe from scams. By learning from each other, we can protect ourselves, our businesses and our communities.

Top 3 scams costing Victorian businesses this year

Scammers are out to steal your money and they continue to come up with novel ways of doing so. The National Anti-Scam Centre has identified the 3 scams hitting Victorian businesses hardest this year. You might be surprised by what they are.

1. False billing scams

False billing scams have cost Victorian businesses $3.9 million in the first 6 months of 2025. These scams typically involve:

• impersonation scams – scammers mimic businesses by using similar names, emails, domains and logos to send fake invoices that appear legitimate
• payment redirection scams – a business system is compromised by the scammer, allowing the scammer to change banking details on legitimate payment requests. Because the emails are sent out from the real business email account, it is extremely difficult for customers to spot this scam.

Industries that typically handle large value payments (real estate, legal and conveyancing, building and construction, and automotive) are at greater risk of these types of scams.

3 tips on how to protect your business and customers from false billing scams

• Include scam awareness messaging to your customers.
• Provide your customers with secure, authorised and encrypted payment platforms where available rather than email requests for payment.
• Train your staff to always check that goods have been ordered and authorised before paying an invoice and independently contact the organisation to confirm if there has been a change in payment details.

2. Business impersonation

More Victorian businesses are reporting that they are being impersonated. Financial losses related to these impersonations are on the rise.

Scammers impersonate a business and its brand by:

• creating clone websites and fake social media profiles
• spoofing* phone numbers, SMS user IDs and email addresses
  • *spoofing is when scammers use technology to disguise their phone number, SMS user ID, and email address to make it look like they are contacting you from a trusted organisation
• referencing a legitimate ABN or industry licence.

Businesses impersonated by scammers in this way may suffer brand damage and reputational harm through loss of consumer trust and confidence.

3 tips on how to protect your business from identity theft and impersonation scams

• Regularly search online and on social media for your brand name to spot impersonation quickly.
• Report fake accounts or websites to the platform or website host to have them removed.
• If you find a scam, help others by going to Report a scam.

3. Shopping scams

When shopping online for your business (or yourself), if it looks too good to be true it probably is.

4 tips on how to protect your business from shopping scams

• Wherever possible, inspect goods before making any payment.
• Read independent reviews when using a new supplier.
• Use your browser to search for websites rather than accessing sites via links in text, email or social media.
• Pay for items using secure payment methods like PayPal and credit cards.

How to protect your business from scams

This Scams Awareness Week, keep your business and customers safe with three simple steps: Stop. Check. Protect.

Stop. Always take a moment before giving money or personal information to anyone.

Scammers will create a sense of urgency to pressure you into acting quickly. Don’t rush to make decisions about money or sharing personal or business details.

What to do:

• Say no, hang up, or delete suspicious messages.
• Take time to think before responding to unexpected requests.
• Don’t let anyone pressure you into immediate action.
• Trust your instincts if something feels wrong.

Check. Make sure the person or organisation you’re dealing with is real.

Scammers pretend to be from organisations you know and trust. Always verify who you’re really dealing with before taking any action.

What to do:

• Contact the organisation directly using phone numbers or email addresses you find on their official website or app.
• Research investment opportunities or offers through official sources Iike ASIC.
• Get a second opinion from family, friends, or professionals.

Protect. Act quickly if something feels wrong.

The sooner you act, the better you can protect yourself and your customers from scammers.

What to do:

• Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve lost money or shared financial details.
• Contact IDCARE if you’ve shared personal information – they can help you create a plan to limit damage.
• Help others by going to Report a scam.
• Report to police at Cyber.gov.au.
• Change passwords and security details if you think they’ve been compromised.
• Monitor your bank statements and credit reports for unusual activity.
• Report the scam to the impersonated organisation and platform where the scam is happening.
• Being scammed can feel overwhelming. Support is available at Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Scams awareness resources

For more information on how to protect your business from scammers, visit Dealing with business impersonation scam resources.

Download resources and spread the campaign message by joining Scams Awareness Week 2025

Understand cybercrime, how to protect your business and report an attack or cybercrime with Manage cybersecurity in your business.

Cybercriminals are impersonating government organisations like Business Victoria every day. Stay alert for scams: is that really Business Victoria?