Australians are being urged to stay alert, with a rise in scams linked to increasing fuel costs.
Scammers are taking advantage of cost‑of‑living pressures by posing as trusted businesses and offering fake fuel discounts, rebates or urgent payment requests.
What’s happening?
The Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA) reports an increase in scam messages that:
Offer fuel rebates or discounts and ask for your payment details to process a refund
Claim toll or delivery costs have increased due to fuel prices
Ask you to pay a small “fuel surcharge” to release a delivery or restore access to an account
While these requests may seem minor, they are designed to trick you into entering your personal or payment details into fake websites.
How these scams work
These scams usually arrive via text message or email and often look very convincing.
They may:
Use company names or logos you recognise
Include links to websites that look legitimate
Create a sense of urgency so you act quickly
In reality, the goal is always the same - to capture your personal information, such as:
passwords
banking details
credit card information
How to protect yourself
A few simple steps can help keep you safe:
- Do not click links in unsolicited messages about tolls, deliveries or fuel rebates
- Always go directly to the company’s official website or app instead
- Check the sender’s details carefully. Scam messages often come from unofficial email addresses or phone numbers
- Be cautious of offers that seem too good to be true, especially around discounts or refunds. Legitimate companies will never ask for sensitive information via unsolicited messages.
Watch out for fake fuel tracking websites
Scammers may also create fake websites that claim to help you track fuel prices or find the cheapest fuel.
These sites are often designed to collect your personal information, not save you money.
What to do if you receive a suspicious message:
- Do not interact with it
- Delete it and report it
If you think you have shared your details or lost money:
- Contact your bank or financial institution immediately
You can also report scams to:
- Scamwatch (run by the ACCC)
Even if you didn’t lose money, reporting scams helps protect others and stop these criminals.
