Reimbursement isn't guaranteed the way the headlines suggest
Australia's Scams Prevention Framework Act 2025 is world-first legislation placing real obligations on banks, telcos and digital platforms. AFCA gains general scam-complaint jurisdiction from 1 July 2026, but the Framework's full compliance obligations for those businesses — govern, prevent, detect, disrupt, respond, report — only land on 31 March 2027. Today, reimbursement after a scam is still decided case-by-case by your bank, and there is no blanket guarantee or fixed cap yet, the way the UK's mandatory scheme already works. See our full breakdown of the Scams Prevention Framework timeline.
The paperwork trail, step by step
It's not "one phone call to the bank." Here's what a victim actually has to do, in order:
- Contact your bank immediately and freeze cardsthe bank that sent the payment
- Report to Scamwatch and ReportCyberscamwatch.gov.au and cyber.gov.au/report
- Gather evidence — screenshots, statements, timestampsby yourself
- Ask your bank in writing to review the transaction and consider reimbursementno fixed statutory scheme yet, case-by-case
- Wait for the bank's internal decisiontimeline varies by bank
- If refused or unresolved: lodge a free complaint with AFCAreceiving-bank and account-opening complaints in scope since 12 March 2026
- Change passwords and compromised accessby yourself
- Warn family members who may become secondary targetsby yourself
- If still unresolved: consult a solicitorroughly $200-$880/hour, 2026 market rates
- Monitor accounts for months afterwardrecurring, not one-time
The price of fighting back
Many victims consider hiring a solicitor, especially when a bank declines to reimburse them. Here's what that actually costs, compared to a year of Egidio protection:
A solicitor in Australia (2026)
A year of Egidio
A single hour with a solicitor costs several times what a full year of individual protection costs — and most disputes take far more than one hour of billable time.
Justice, not guaranteed
What the numbers don't say
There's a cost that statistics measure poorly: what comes after. A CHOICE survey of Australian scam victims found four out of five said their bank never warned them before they transferred money to a scammer, and three out of five said they no longer feel confident transacting online — on top of the well-documented psychological toll of anxiety, stress and loss of trust that follows a scam.
That's not a reason for more guilt — it's one more reason detection should happen before, not after. A family member who gets an alert at the right moment avoids both the financial loss and everything that comes with it.
What actually changes the odds: acting before, not after
None of the above is inevitable — it's exactly what Egidio is built to prevent upstream. See what the Scams Prevention Framework actually covers today, and what's still coming, what CBA, Westpac, NAB, ANZ and Australia's telcos actually offer before a claim ever happens, or learn to recognise the most common Australian scam texts before they reach you.
Frequently asked questions
Will my bank automatically reimburse me after a scam?
Not automatically. Australia's Scams Prevention Framework Act 2025 places new obligations on banks, telcos and digital platforms, but full obligations don't apply until 31 March 2027. Until then, reimbursement is decided case-by-case by your bank, and you can escalate an unresolved complaint to AFCA.
How much scam activity in Australia actually gets reported?
A large share of cybercrime and scams go unreported to ReportCyber or Scamwatch — common reasons cited by victims include not thinking the incident was serious enough, worrying about the consequences, or not knowing reporting was an option at all.
How long does an AFCA complaint take?
AFCA aims to resolve most complaints within a matter of months, though timelines vary by complexity. Since 12 March 2026, AFCA can hear complaints against a receiving bank or over an unauthorised account opened in your name; full scam-complaint jurisdiction under the Scams Prevention Framework starts 1 July 2026.
How much does a solicitor cost after a scam in Australia?
Solicitor hourly rates in Australia range broadly from around $200 to $880 per hour depending on seniority and location, with government-set legal aid rates around $326 per hour for the 2025-26 financial year. A contested court case can run into tens of thousands of dollars once barrister fees and disbursements are included.
Does being scammed actually affect mental health?
Yes, measurably. A CHOICE survey of Australian scam victims found four out of five said their bank never warned them before they transferred money to a scammer, and three out of five said they no longer feel confident transacting online — on top of the documented psychological toll of anxiety, stress and loss of trust that follows a scam.