{"id":7853,"date":"2026-10-06T21:53:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T21:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/scam-red-flags-2\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T21:53:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T21:53:22","slug":"scam-red-flags","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/au\/scam-red-flags\/","title":{"rendered":"Red flags for document scams in Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"<nav class=\"crumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\"><a href=\"\/au\/\">Home<\/a> \u203a Scam red flags<\/nav>\n<p><span class=\"kicker\">Checklist<\/span><\/p>\n<h1>Red flags for document scams in Australia<\/h1>\n<div class=\"answer\"><strong>Short answer:<\/strong> The reliable warning signs are an address that is not .gov.au, a promise to skip tests or the in-person step, a price higher than the agency&#8217;s own table, payment by transfer or gift card, a request for identity scans before a price, and contact only by message. Each is documented in an Australian warning.<\/div>\n<p class=\"meta\">Last reviewed: <time datetime=\"2026-10-05\">2026-10-05<\/time> \u00b7 By <a href=\"\/au\/authors\/\">Mark Dent<\/a><\/p>\n<nav class=\"toc\" aria-label=\"On this page\"><strong>On this page<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#s1\">About the website<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s2\">About the price<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s3\">About the payment<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s4\">About what they ask for<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s5\">About what they promise<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s6\">After you spot one<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s7\">The three tactics under every flag<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s8\">More website signs from Scamwatch<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s9\">How to use the list<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<p>This page collects the signs that appear across the Australian sources we opened, so you can run them against any offer in about two minutes. Each line names where it comes from.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s1\">About the website<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"check\">\n<li><strong>The address is not .gov.au.<\/strong> Scamwatch: most Australian government websites use .gov.au, never .org, .net or .com.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It uses flags, crests or landmarks.<\/strong> Scamwatch lists Australian flags, altered copies of government crests and logos and pictures of landmarks as ways look-alike sites appear official.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It links to real government sites.<\/strong> Scamwatch says look-alike sites link to genuine government websites to look credible.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It sits above the official result in ads.<\/strong> A regional newspaper&rsquo;s report on passport and visa scams describes fake government sites appearing as sponsored results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"s2\">About the price<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"check\">\n<li><strong>It is higher than the agency&rsquo;s table.<\/strong> Queensland: $56.20 direct against almost $160 on a third-party site. Western Australia: more than twice the standard fee.<\/li>\n<li><strong>You pay for forms that are free.<\/strong> Scamwatch: you may be paying only for information, forms or web links that are freely available from official government websites.<\/li>\n<li><strong>There is an ongoing charge.<\/strong> Scamwatch says some sites subscribe you to payments you did not know about.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"s3\">About the payment<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"check\">\n<li><strong>Transfer, gift cards or crypto.<\/strong> Scamwatch: government services are never paid by wire transfer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The payment page claims to be secure but is not.<\/strong> Scamwatch describes gateways that are unsecure and unencrypted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"s4\">About what they ask for<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"check\">\n<li><strong>Scans of identity documents before a price.<\/strong> Scamwatch: sites may ask you to upload copies of identification.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A password, one-time code or sign-in link.<\/strong> The June 2026 ATO and myGov alert lists requests to sign in to myGov through a link.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A message that creates urgency.<\/strong> The same alert and the text-scam guidance say scammers rush you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"s5\">About what they promise<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"check\">\n<li><strong>No test, no course, no attendance.<\/strong> Agencies we opened require identity, tests and in-person steps; the white card must follow training.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A &ldquo;registered&rdquo; document you have never seen the record of.<\/strong> Only the issuing agency creates a record.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Someone else will sit the exam or course.<\/strong> The 2016 white card case.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Money recovery.<\/strong> Scamwatch: never accept offers from anyone who says they can get your money back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"s6\">After you spot one<\/h2>\n<p>Do not argue with the seller or ask for a refund by message: that keeps you in the conversation. Close the page, keep a screenshot, and report it as set out in <a href=\"\/au\/how-to-report-a-scam\/\">how to report a scam<\/a>. If you already paid, go straight to <a href=\"\/au\/paid-a-scammer\/\">I paid a scammer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s7\">The three tactics under every flag<\/h2>\n<p>Scamwatch groups scammer behaviour into impersonation, urgency and emotion. Impersonation covers fake websites that look exactly like those of service providers and messages claiming to be from the government. Urgency covers fake deadlines, countdown timers and threats of account closure. Emotion covers fear, hope and compassion. Every flag above is one of these three in disguise: the crest is impersonation, the countdown is urgency and the threat of losing a job without a licence is emotion.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s8\">More website signs from Scamwatch<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"check\">\n<li>Prices significantly lower than usual or compared with other sites.<\/li>\n<li>A single payment option, or payment in gift cards or Bitcoin only.<\/li>\n<li>Only positive reviews, or reviews light on detail. Scamwatch advises not relying on reviews written on the website itself; search for independent reviews elsewhere.<\/li>\n<li>An urgent warning or error message that asks you to click a link.<\/li>\n<li>A way to make quick, easy money with little or no risk or effort.<\/li>\n<li>Where you have a secure way to reach an organisation, an app or portal, use it instead of search engine results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"s9\">How to use the list<\/h2>\n<p>One flag is a reason to look closer; three are a reason to stop. Take the Queensland example: a certificate that costs $56.20 at the registry and almost $160 on a third-party site shows the price flag; a site that asks for ID before showing a price shows the data flag; one that wants a transfer shows the payment flag. Any one of those might have an explanation. All three together do not.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<details>\n<summary>What is the main sign of a fake government website?<\/summary>\n<p>Scamwatch says most Australian government websites use .gov.au, never .org, .net or .com. A document site without that address is not the agency.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Is a high price a sign of a scam?<\/summary>\n<p>It can be. Queensland found a third-party service charging almost $160 for a $56.20 certificate. Compare with the agency&rsquo;s own table.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Can a real agency ask me to pay by transfer?<\/summary>\n<p>Scamwatch says government services are never paid via wire transfer.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Should I send ID to check a price?<\/summary>\n<p>No. Scamwatch warns that sites may ask you to upload copies of identification; the price should be shown first.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<div class=\"related\">\n<h2>Keep reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/au\/official-checks\/\">Official checks<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/au\/how-to-report-a-scam\/\">How to report a scam<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/au\/paid-a-scammer\/\">I paid a scammer<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/au\/birth-certificate-websites\/\">Birth certificate websites<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sources\">\n<h2>Sources and official links<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scamwatch.gov.au\/about-us\/news-and-alerts\/scam-birth-death-and-marriage-certificate-websites\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Scamwatch: scam birth, death and marriage certificate websites<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scamwatch.gov.au\/about-us\/news-and-alerts\/beware-of-scam-websites-making-fake-claims-of-government-affiliation\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Scamwatch: scam websites making fake claims of government affiliation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scamwatch.gov.au\/about-us\/news-and-alerts\/australian-taxation-office-ato-and-mygov-impersonation-scams\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Scamwatch: ATO and myGov impersonation scams (26 June 2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.qld.gov.au\/community-engagement\/news\/2026\/queenslanders-warned-not-to-use-commercial-sites-to-order-birth-death-and-marriage-certificates\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Queensland Government: commercial sites warning (6 February 2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wa.gov.au\/government\/media-statements\/Cook%20Labor%20Government\/Customers-warned-about-dodgy-Births,-Deaths-and-Marriages-websites-20260216\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">WA Government: customers warned about dodgy BDM websites (16 February 2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scamwatch.gov.au\/types-of-scams\/money-recovery-scams\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Scamwatch: money recovery scams<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scamwatch.gov.au\/stop-check-protect\/help-to-spot-and-avoid-scams\/methods-scammers-use\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Scamwatch: methods scammers use<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scamwatch.gov.au\/types-of-scams\/website-scams\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Scamwatch: website scams<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author\"><strong>About the author<\/strong><br \/>Written by <a href=\"\/au\/authors\/\">Mark Dent<\/a> from state and Commonwealth government pages, Commonwealth legislation and public reporting. We do not sell, issue or arrange any licence or document, and we are not part of Scamwatch, Services Australia, the Australian Passport Office or any state or territory agency. See our <a href=\"\/au\/editorial-policy\/\">editorial policy<\/a> or <a href=\"\/au\/contact\/\">report a mistake<\/a>.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home \u203a Scam red flags Checklist Red flags for document scams in Australia Short answer: The reliable warning signs are an address that is not .gov.au, a promise to skip tests or the in-person step, a price higher than the agency&#8217;s own table, payment by transfer or gift card, a request for identity scans before [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"truthdocuments-guide","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7853","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_hostinger_reach_plugin_has_subscription_block":false,"_hostinger_reach_plugin_is_elementor":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7853\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}