Gen Z beware: Bendigo Bank and Up warn young Australians are being targeted by scammers

From dodgy job ads to fake uni fee invoices, Bendigo Bank and Up expose the scams targeting Gen Z customers and explain how to stay safe online.

Customers of the nation’s most trusted bank and Australia’s first and best mobile only digital bank are amongst the safest in the country, thanks to their leading and latest measures. Now the experts at Bendigo Bank and Up are doing their bit to raise awareness of the scams targeting younger customers.

Senior Manager Customer Protection at Bendigo Bank Aaron Westberry says “It’s not just older Australians that are targeted by scammers.”

“While they are savvy digital natives, by mere nature of spending more time on their devices, Gen Z are inherently more exposed to online scams. Scammers are getting really good at targeting the under 30s set online with fake offers that look legit, so we’re here to help our Gen Z customers stay one step ahead and identify anything that looks suss.”

1. Online shopping scams

More than 70% of Gen Z scam victims last year were fooled by buying or selling scams. Top brands at rock bottom prices are an irresistible combination. But many of these online stores usually sell fake products or nothing at all. Scammers are known to forge legitimacy by promoting their stores on social media, only to ghost a few weeks later and never deliver on sales or provide refunds.
Pro tip: Get receipts before you buy. Do thorough research into companies you don’t recognise. Search their ABN, check for reviews online, and search for scam alerts on Scamwatch if something doesn’t feel right.

2. Fake job scams

Seen a dream job pop up in your feed? Beware. Scammers pose as recruiters, asking for upfront fees for ‘training’ or requesting your personal info for ‘payroll’ or they might ask you to receive or transfer money for a third party.
Criminals are recruiting mules by targeting students or young people with limited income to transfer and disguise proceeds of crime with job ads spruiking massive, quick commissions. But whatever the incentive, money muling is essentially money laundering.
Pro tip: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. They don’t call it ‘work’ for nothing, so be aware it might be a scam, or may even get you caught up in criminal activity. Don’t get pressured into limited time offers, ‘ASAP’ or ‘urgent’ requests. Take a minute to think before you act and consider the potential consequences.

3. Uni fees scams

Got an invoice or email asking for ‘overdue tuition fees’ supposedly from your uni? Fraudsters are sending out official-looking emails with titles like ‘Final Reminder: Tuition Fee Outstanding Payment’ and threatening legal action if payment isn’t settled immediately.
Pro tip: Be a quick study. Confirm the deets directly with your uni before sharing any personal info or paying invoices or bills online, or better yet, use official payment portals – which most unis will have. And never click any links, open attachments or reply to emails that you aren’t sure are 100% legit.

4. Romance scams

Met someone dreamy online? Scammers get in on the lonely hearts club by creating fake profiles on real dating websites and apps, often using images and photos of stolen identities. If your boo’s profile and what they tell you doesn’t add up, if they’re in too deep too fast, if they’re erratic, messages are oddly written, vague or generic, if they won’t go on camera or ever ask you for money online, it might be a scam.
Pro tip: Don’t let the dream become a nightmare. Never share banking info, send money or provide your personal info to someone you have only ever met online. Be careful about going off-platform to chat and if you think a profile is dodgy, reverse image search to see if it’s been stolen.

For more tips on dodging scams and staying safe online, check out Up’s Scam Self-Defence Guide, packed with great advice on how to identify common scams and how to protect yourself.

Bendigo Bank and Up have recently improved card security and controls, brought in mule and account misuse prevention innovations, rolled out payee confirmation, and have introduced a payment safety checklist to better protect customers of all ages. These latest measures are in addition to both banks tightening transaction rules, removing unexpected links from SMS messages, implementing unusual account detection measures and increasing the size of their fraud prevention and response teams to respond more effectively to scammers targeting their customers.

By working together with customers, both banks say they can even further reduce the incidence of scams and fraud, stopping scammers in their tracks by following Scamwatch’s advice:

1. STOP – Don’t give money or personal information to anyone if unsure. Scammers will offer to help you or ask you to verify who you are. They will pretend to be from organisations you know and trust like Services Australia, police, government, or a fraud service.
2. THINK – Ask yourself could the message or call be fake? Never click a link in a message. Only contact us, businesses or government using contact information from their official website or through their secure apps. If you’re not sure, say no, hang up or delete.
3. PROTECT – Act quickly if something feels wrong. If you notice unusual activity or if a scammer gets your money or information, report it and get support.

Bendigo Bank customers: Visit www.bendigobank.com.au/security immediately to report it and get support.

Upsiders: Call 1300 002 258 or use the ‘Talk to us’ function in the Up app as soon as you can.