Scammers the ultimate weekend weasels, targeting Aussies when their guard is down

Scammers are more persistent than ever, but we’re blocking more of their scams than ever. Our always-on cyber security team helps guard Australians around-the-clock, and we’ve been studying their tactics.

From all the data we’ve collected by blocking millions and millions of scams, we’ve noticed scammers love to target Australians on some days more than others.

After looking at the scam SMS messages we blocked in 2022 and 2023, scammers are more likely to contact you on Fridays or Saturdays. Leading into the weekend, we block 11% more scams on Friday and Saturday than we do any other day on average.

Some rest for the wicked: like most of us, scammers do tend to slow down at the end of the week and observe Sunday as a rest day – we block almost 20% less on a Sunday compared to the weekly average.

Our teams have also observed that some of the scams managing to slip through the nets are being targeted between 1am and 4am. This is no coincidence.

Scammer psychology

Scammers try to take advantage of lapsed judgement: whether that’s before your first cup of coffee, while you’re busy running weekend errands, or simply in relaxation mode. They pose as real and recognisable companies and/or agencies, and threaten everything from cancelled car registrations through to damage to your credit report, or even legal action.

Scammers will try to manipulate you into responding quickly before you have a chance to stop and think. By targeting you at these times, scammers maximise their chances of success, exploiting moments when potential victims are not fully alert.

Strewth! Scammers are using AI to sound like Aussies

As technology evolves, scammers also evolve their techniques and approaches. While we use AI to help protect our network and our customers, scammers also like to use generative AI tools to produce highly-personalised messages.

Lately, we’ve seen scammers use AI to sound more Australian to try and trick locals into thinking they’re “true blue” – it’s clear they aren’t quite there yet! Check out this example caught by our systems and analysts:

 

 

Scams on the rise

In 2023, reports of scams in Australia jumped up by 18.5% compared to 2022, according to Scamwatch’s Targeting Scams Report. Text messaging remains a scammer’s favourite way to reach us, with over 109,000 reported SMS scams in 2023, which is up 37% from 2022 (that’s about 40,000 more reports!).

While scams are up, we’ve seen a massive rise in the number of scams that we’re blocking.

In 2023 alone, the Cleaner Pipes team helped block an average of 11 million scam SMS messages every month. That’s an increase of 69% year on year. We also blocked 11% more calls in 2023 than in 2022. And the trend continues unabated: in the first quarter of 2024 alone, we’ve blocked approximately 25% more SMS scams on average compared to the second half of last year.

How you can help

Cyber security is a team sport: if you get a scam text, snitch on that scammer!

By forwarding it to us, you can help to help our systems better learn what scams are floating around to stop them reaching more people.

Here’s how you can report a scam:

Forward the message: If you receive a suspicious text, you can forward it to us by either sending it to 7226 or by using the “Report Junk” feature if you’re on an Apple device. This helps us identify new scam trends and block similar messages in the future.

Stay informed: Keep yourself updated on the latest scam tactics and tips on how to protect yourself by visiting our blog and following our updates.

By working together, we can make it harder for scammers to succeed and help keep your data and money safe. So, stay vigilant, stay informed, and remember—we’re always here to support you, working 24/7 to enhance your security.