Cybersecurity Tips 2026 – New Scam Tactics, Old Tricks and How to Stay Safe

Scams are now part of daily digital life in Australia. In 2025 alone, Australians reported nearly $260 million in losses in the first nine months, with shopping scams topping loss categories and online channels (fake websites, social posts, mobile apps) the most common contact method. That trajectory continues into 2026 as scammers professionalise and scale with AI. The National Anti‑Scam Centre keeps monthly scam statistics, underscoring how tactics evolve quickly across SMS, email, social media and phone.

This post distils the 2026 scam trends you are most likely to see and the most effective Cybersecurity tips for individuals and organisations, grounded in Australian guidance and the Essential Eight uplift priorities.

Fake Online Stores – Bargain Bait, Data Theft

What is happening in 2026?

Fraudulent shops clone brand sites and push “too‑good‑to‑miss” sales via social and search ads. Losses from shopping scams surged through 2025, regulators warn scammers exploit busy sales periods and urgency psychology. The NASC/Scamwatch dashboards, updated monthly, show online shopping as a persistent category.

Cybersecurity tips

• Don’t buy from social ads- search for the retailer yourself and check the URL (look for https, correct domain).
• Use wallet services (Apple Pay, PayPal) to reduce card exposure and enable dispute options.
• Check site age & reviews (avoid brand‑new domains with generic content).

Phishing + Deepfakes – AI Supercharges Impersonation

What’s changed: AI makes high‑quality deepfake videos and voice clones cheap and fast, turning classic phishing into convincing, urgent executive requests or family emergencies. A January 2026 study showed Australians correctly identified AI‑generated imagery only 42% of the time, highlighting how hard deepfakes are to spot in practice. Police and government safety resources now include deepfake‑specific guidance for the public.

Cybersecurity tips

• Go direct: type addresses into your browser; avoid email/SMS links.
• Out‑of‑band verify call the person on a known number before paying or sharing data.
• Look for artefacts in video (lip‑sync, eye movements, lighting) but don’t trust on visual cues alone, always verify through another channel.
• Treat shortened links with caution; expand first. (Trend intel shows SMS phishing is highly refined in 2026.)

Tap‑to‑Pay / NFC Scams – From “Charity” to “Ghost Tapping”

In public spaces (events, door‑to‑door), scammers rush you to tap a small “donation” that is actually a much larger charge to a fraudulent merchant. Broader NFC relay/ghost‑tapping variants have also been reported: criminals socially engineer victims to add cards to their mobile wallet, then spend via contactless. Security researchers and industry advisories describe NFC relay techniques that abuse older research tools, now weaponised in the wild.

Cybersecurity tips

• Slow down: confirm merchant name and amount on the terminal screen before tapping.
• Don’t accept rushed, screen‑hidden transactions; insist on a receipt.
• Turn on instant transaction alerts in your banking app to spot suspicious charges quickly.

Social Media Age‑Verification Scams – Exploiting New Laws

Australia’s minimum social‑media age framework (under‑16s off age‑restricted platforms) took effect 10 December 2025, shifting compliance responsibility to platforms and spawning a wave of fake verification sites, phoney government messages, and “compliance” fees. Official FAQs and government fact sheets detail what platforms must do—and what users should expect.

Media coverage throughout Jan–Feb 2026 shows ongoing adjustments and enforcement and attempts by users and scammers to circumvent the rules.

Cybersecurity tips

• No legitimate platform will charge you for age checks; avoid uploading ID to unsolicited forms.
• Validate claims via the eSafety Commissioner site and official comms only.

“Hi Grandma” (AI Voice Cloning) Calls: The Family Impersonation Upgrade

Criminals need just seconds of audio from social media to clone a loved one’s voice and demand emergency funds. Banks and security researchers warn that humans can’t reliably detect voice deepfakes—verification protocols are essential. Consumer news in Feb 2026 continues to highlight the red flags: urgent requests, refusal to switch channels, and unusual payment methods.

Cybersecurity tips

• Pause. Hang up. Call the person back on a saved number.
• Set a private family safe word (never share it online).
• Never pay via gift cards/crypto on the basis of a phone call.

Parcel Delivery Scams – Australia Post Lookalikes

Phishing texts/email impersonate Australia Post or couriers to “re‑schedule delivery” or “pay a small fee,” linking to credential‑harvesting pages. AusPost publishes current scam alerts and encourages people to use the official app for delivery updates. Meanwhile, ACMA is tightening the SMS Sender ID Register (from 1 July 2026) to curb spoofed branded texts.

Cybersecurity tips

• Manage deliveries only via official apps/sites; don’t click links in messages.
• Report suspicious AusPost messages to scams@auspost.com.au and delete.

If You are Caught by a Scam – Act Immediately

1. Stop contact with the scammer and cease any payments.
2. Call your bank to freeze accounts and block transactions.
3. Change passwords, starting with email and banking; run malware scans if you clicked links.
4. Report to Scamwatch/NASC (and police for serious losses). Their portals aggregate intelligence and guide next steps.

Cybersecurity Tips for Organisations – Map Controls to the Essential Eight

For businesses, the most reliable way to harden against 2026 scams is to uplift the Essential Eight controls together, targeting Maturity Level 2 or higher (many agencies aim for Level 3). The ACSC/ASD guidance emphasises these eight mitigation strategies as a baseline for preventing, limiting and recovering from incidents.

Recent updates to the Essential Eight maturity model (Nov 2023) tightened patching windows (e.g., 48‑hour turnarounds for some critical vulnerabilities; two‑week windows for apps exposed to untrusted internet content) and weekly vulnerability scanning for key applications, plus stronger minimums for Multi Factor Authentication MFA. Multiple security consultancies summarise these changes for organisations planning uplift in 2026.

Priority actions (E8‑aligned Cybersecurity tips):

• MFA everywhere (prefer phishing‑resistant methods); enforce for staff and any customer portals.
• Restrict admin privileges, review regularly; apply OS and application patching on strengthened schedules.
• User application hardening (block internet‑sourced macros, harden browsers/PDF readers).
• Daily backups, tested restores; segment backup infrastructure.
• Security awareness training covering deepfakes, vishing, parcel scams, and social media verification traps (tie to internal reporting).

Fast Checklist – 20 Cybersecurity Tips That Work in 2026

For everyone

1. Use unique passwords + a password manager.
2. Turn on MFA for email, banking, social.
3. Don’t click links in unsolicited messages, go direct.
4. Verify money requests via a second channel (phone call to a saved number).
5. Create a family safe word to defeat voice‑cloning scams.
6. Update devices and apps promptly, enable auto‑updates.
7. Enable transaction alerts on cards and accounts.
8. Avoid paying via gift cards/crypto on pressure calls.
9. Use official apps for deliveries, report AusPost lookalikes.
10. Check seller legitimacy, avoid purchasing via social ads.

For organisations

1. Target Essential Eight Maturity Level 2+; roadmap to 3 where risk warrants.
2. Strengthen MFA—avoid weaker factors; move to phishing‑resistant methods.
3. Patch critical vulnerabilities within 48 hours, weekly vuln scans for key apps.
4. Implement application control and user application hardening.
5. Restrict administrative rights, monitor privileged access.
6. Enforce macro policies, block internet‑sourced macros.
7. Backups— daily, immutable/segmented, with tested restores.
8. Awareness training with deepfake and vishing simulations.
9. Adopt brand‑sender ID best practices for SMS; register IDs ahead of the ACMA regime.
10. Maintain an incident‑response playbook aligned to E8 uplift and the broader Scams Prevention Framework.

Friquently Aksed Questions

#1: Are “tap‑to‑pay” transactions safe or should I disable them?

NFC/contactless is generally secure, but social engineering and relay techniques can abuse it. Reduce risk by checking terminal amounts, refusing rushed “charity” taps, turning on transaction alerts, and protecting wallet provisioning (never share verification codes).

#2: Can humans reliably detect deepfakes?

Not consistently. In Jan 2026 testing, Australians correctly identified AI content only 42% of the time, so always verify via independent channels (call back, safe word), especially for money requests.

#3: What is the fastest way for a business to harden against these scams?

Adopt a whole‑of‑framework uplift to the Essential Eight with a focus on MFA, patching, privileged access controls, and user application hardening, then monitor continuously. Use the Nov 2023 update timelines (e.g., 48‑hour critical patching; weekly scanning for key apps).

Final word – Cybersecurity tips that actually raise your resilience

Scammers are getting smarter, but we can stay ahead. When you use strong everyday cybersecurity tips, like MFA, checking requests carefully, hardening your apps, and being cautious with payments, alongside an Essential Eight uplift, you greatly reduce your risk. From AI voice cloning and deepfakes to fake online stores and parcel scams, staying aware and keeping your security controls updated will always give you better protection.

Get in touch

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