‘A hair away from losing our money’: New kind of scam nearly cost Colleen everything

When Colleen received a message saying a card payment had failed and she needed to call a particular number to sort the problem out, it seemed legitimate.

They weren’t demanding she click on a dodgy link or answer an unknown phone number – just make a call.

And Colleen, who didn’t want to give her surname, wanted to resolve the issue, so she called back straight away.

“Looking back, that’s exactly what the scammers wanted,” she said.

“They made me feel rushed and I almost fell into the trap.”

Colleen had been targeted by what experts have dubbed a “callback scam”, a type that’s growing in frequency as Australians become more wary of answering strange calls and spotting shifty emails.

In a callback scam, victims are told to contact a phone number – often impersonating a legitimate institution such as a bank or even a government body – to resolve an urgent issue.

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In Colleen’s case, she was greeted by somebody apparently eager to help her resolve her payment “problem”.

“I was on the phone to the scammer and totally focused on fixing what I thought was a failed payment issue,” she said.

“It was only when my husband overheard them asking for my card details that something didn’t seem right.”

Colleen’s husband, of course, had not been subjected to the same high-pressure “sales pitch” from the scammer, but as she pointed out, not everybody hit with a callback scam would have somebody there to help.

“Thankfully we stopped and I put the phone down. We then checked the claim for ourselves and realised there was never a failed payment in the first place,” she said.

“We really were just a hair away from losing our money. It’s frightening to think about.”

Telstra cybersecurity expert Darren Pauli said Australians were becoming “savvy to scammers”, particularly the garden-variety classics.

But callback scams hit people in places they’re less guarded.

“The scams don’t need to be perfect; just enough to get past our battle hardened instincts of what a scam call, text, or email looks like,” he said.

“After that, it’s up to how convincing their story is and how relevant it is to potential victims.”

The proliferation of callback scams show that the trick’s working enough to become popular.

Pauli said Telstra internal data showed callback scams accounted for 45 per cent of reported email scam types in 2026 already, up from 29 per cent in 2025.

“It’s important to remember that branding, logos, and professional language aren’t proof of legitimacy,” he said.

“The safest approach is always to independently verify any request using official websites and apps.“

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Scammers taking calls from everyday Australians understandably stressed about an unexpected financial demand often gain trust by acting reassuring and asking for financial or personal information to verify an account or process a payment or refund.

“YouGov research by Telstra found 85 per cent of Australians would prefer to resolve an urgent charge by phone,” Pauli said.

For Colleen, after that “sense of urgency” cracked, she quickly understood the nature of the beast she faced.

“It made me realise these scams can happen to anyone,” she said.

“The message caught me at the right moment and seemed believable. Now I’m much more cautious.”

She said she felt embarrassed at the time, but now she just wanted people to learn how to protect themselves.

“Don’t feel ashamed. It can happen to anyone, these scammers are smart and they’re adapting. It’s not your fault if you do get caught up, but there’s things you can do to protect yourself too,” she said.

“Don’t act with such speed. These scams are set out so you make instant decisions.

“Don’t fall for it, go at your own pace and trust your gut.”

Telstra cybersecurity expert Darren Pauli’s tips for scam protection

• First and foremost, be mindful of any unexpected calls, messages, or chats. If you didn’t expect that person or organisation to say what they did, when they did, slow down. Give yourself time to think clearly.
• When you are thinking clearly, you might spot the odd-looking call back phone number, the dodgy email sender address, and other signs that we often miss when we’re in a panic, distracted, or busy.
• Don’t call any number included in emails and other messages as a rule. Promise yourself to only ever contact an organisation using information on their official website or in their official app.
• If you know it’s a scam, call your bank immediately. Tell them everything. Then change any related passwords to something long and unique and then head to settings to turn on account multifactor authentication or passkeys, when available.
• If you are unsure if it was a scam, verify with the claimed organisation on official contacts, but don’t sit on phone queues or wait for email replies. You are in a sprint with scammers; don’t let them beat you.