If you get an unexpected message from a family member asking for money, you might think you’d spot a scam instantly. 

 

But what if the text was a call, and you recognise the familiar voice of a loved one, down to their distinct cadence and phrasing? 

 

When Wire last reported on the “Hey Mum” scam, the warning was criminals were exploiting familiarity and urgency to trick people into transferring money. Still, a small solace came by noticing a spelling mistake or clumsy grammar. If you were an attentive reader, you had a fighting chance.

 

That attention advantage is shrinking. The next spawning of impersonation scams is being fuelled by AI, now allowing criminals to leverage relationships by cloning voices and faces - often from seconds of public footage off social media - with uncanny precision. 

 

The medium is changing, too - what used to be a suspicious SMS now turns more intimate, a voice call that even the most tech-savvy among us would have trouble discerning. It’s same playbook as “Hey Mum”, but now it’s not limited by text. 

 

The problem isn’t just that criminals have new tools, it’s that those tools let them create - sometimes an AI-slop-elgänger - but often enough, a convincing version of real people and real businesses. 

 

Westpac is warning Australians to brace for this new wave of AI-driven scams that are disarmingly bespoke and believable.

 

“Scammers are weaponising AI in their attempts to steal from hardworking Australians. 

 

“They've moved beyond generic phishing into highly targeted scams that feel more personal and are harder to detect,” says Westpac Head of Fraud Prevention Ben Young.

 

“From deepfake voices and videos to registering fake companies with ASIC, scammers are evolving quickly in their efforts to rip Australians off,” he says. 

 

The scams to watch out for

 

Impersonation

• AI-powered impersonation scams: A sharp rise in ‘Hi Mum’ and business email compromise or invoice scams, using cloned voices, faces and video calls created from seconds of publicly available content.

Investment

• Fake ‘safe’ investment offers: Economic uncertainty is fuelling scams involving fake term deposits, bonds and precious metals such as gold and silver. Crypto scams may also spike as a result.

Other emerging scams

• Registered fake businesses: Criminals are increasingly registering companies that appear legitimate but actually front sophisticated investment and payment scams.

• Conflict and charity scams: Scammers are exploiting global conflicts, posing as people in crisis or fake aid organisations seeking urgent donations and creating bots to impersonate airlines and direct customers to fake websites.

• Targeting older Australians via fake community groups: Fraudulent Facebook pages promoting senior activities or local events are being used to capture card details or lure people into handing over money.

 

And where do many of these scams spread fastest? Social media.

 

“Social media has become one of the most powerful distribution channels for scams. These scams don’t arrive as suspicious messages anymore, they are showing up as ads, posts and pages,” Young says.

 

7 tips to protect yourself from scams

 

1. Don’t pay under pressure. Scammers like to create a sense of urgency, and that’s the tell.
2. Independently verify requests for money or information. Always contact the person or organisation using details you trust or from publicly listed websites, not the contact details provided in the message. The same is true for businesses as fake companies can look legitimate.
3. Watch out for impersonation. If a call, message or video appears to be from a loved one, pause and verify through another channel. Establishing a family code word can help confirm someone’s identity and a legitimate organisation will not be offended if you hang up and call back.
4. Be wary of offers that seem too good to be true. High returns, low risk or ‘guaranteed’ outcomes are common scam tactics.
5. Never accept a role or a request that asks you to move or receive money on someone else’s behalf. This can have devastating consequences. 
6. Never share personal or financial information. Banks will never ask for your full password, one‑time passcodes or card details. Scammers will. 
7. Act quickly if something feels wrong. If you notice unusual transactions or think you’ve been scammed, contact your bank immediately.

 

 

When your heart starts racing, the best defence is a pause. Above all else, remember Young’s advice, “If something or someone creates urgency or pressure, that is a red flag and should be your cue to stop, check and verify through a trusted channel before you take any action.”