Australia: Scamwatch and IDCARE — The Recovery Process Explained

Australia's scam-response system has two main organizations doing different jobs, and understanding the difference helps you get the right kind of help faster.

Scamwatch: where you report

Scamwatch is run by the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC), a unit within the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) established in 2023. Reporting a scam here:

• Feeds into national data used to warn others about emerging scam patterns.
• Helps coordinate action between government, law enforcement, banks, and telcos to disrupt scam operations.
• Is not, by itself, a personal recovery service — it's primarily a reporting and intelligence function.

Report at scamwatch.gov.au regardless of whether money was lost — reports of scam attempts that didn't succeed still help build the pattern data used to warn others.

IDCARE: where you get identity recovery help

IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand's national identity and cyber support service — a not-for-profit that specifically helps individuals whose identity information has been misused or exposed, whether through a scam, a data breach, or theft. Unlike Scamwatch, IDCARE provides direct, personalized support:

• A dedicated case manager who walks you through exactly which accounts, documents, and records need attention based on what was compromised.
• Guidance specific to Australian systems — Medicare, myGov, driver's licence, and financial institution processes.
• Support is free for individuals.

When to use each

• Money was lost, or you want to flag a scam pattern: Scamwatch.
• Personal identity documents, Medicare details, or myGov access were compromised: IDCARE, in addition to Scamwatch.
• Both: Report the scam itself to Scamwatch, then contact IDCARE for hands-on help securing what was exposed.

If your bank accounts were affected

Contact your bank directly and immediately — Scamwatch and IDCARE both complement bank-level fraud reporting rather than replace it. Ask your bank about their specific scam reimbursement policy, since major Australian banks have their own internal fraud teams and processes separate from the national services above.

Government identity documents specifically

If a Centrelink Customer Reference Number, Medicare, or myGov detail was compromised, also contact the Services Australia Scams and Identity Theft help desk directly, since some document-specific protections need to go through the issuing agency rather than IDCARE alone.

For a broader look at digital footprint basics specific to Australia, see Digital Footprint Basics for Australians. For the payment-specific recovery steps, see the complete international recovery guide. If you want to check what's already exposed about you before this incident, a Scan My Shadow scan checks your phone number and email against 1,500+ breach sources.

Curious what's already out there about you? Scan My Shadow checks your phone number and email across 1,500+ sources and sends you a clear report — no guesswork, just facts. Start your scan.