Scams have emerged as Australia’s most prevalent online threat during the first half of 2026, as cybercriminals increasingly exploit trusted digital platforms.
According to cybersecurity giant Gen’s H1 2026 Threat Report – the parent company behind Norton and Avast – overall scam activity nationwid – surged by 32% in the first six months of the year.
Key Takeaways
- Sharp Rise in Scams: Overall Australian scam activity grew 32% in H1 2026, according to cybersecurity giant Gen’s latest threat report.
- Gambling & Tech Targeted: Gambling scams surged by 927%, while e-shop scams (+76%) and fake tech support (+68%) also saw major spikes.
- Device Exploits Explode: Remote access attacks jumped 59%, driven by a 104% surge in remote access trojans designed to seize system control.
- Deceptive Workflows: Fraudsters are increasingly abandoning technical exploits to impersonate government agencies, family members, and legitimate checkouts.
Leading the domestic spike are gambling scams, which skyrocketed by an astonishing 927%. Fraudsters are also heavily targeting online shoppers and everyday computer users, with e-shop scams up 76% and tech support scams rising 68%. Meanwhile, dating scams grew 31%, and generic financial scams climbed 17%.
Beyond direct fraud, device-level security threats saw sharp increases. Remote access attacks jumped 59%, fueled by a 104% explosion in remote access trojans designed to take over systems. Trojan attacks overall rose 44%, while phishing attacks grew 16%. Meanwhile, “scam-yourself” attacks rose 11%, driven by a 97% surge in fake security alerts and a 62% increase in deceptive online tutorials.
The report highlights a broader strategic shift: attackers are abandoning obvious technical exploits to blend directly into legitimate workflows.
Globally, family impersonation scams surged over 454%, often using tactics like “GhostPairing” to hijack WhatsApp accounts via linked devices.
Government impersonation scams jumped 387%, while web skimming attacks targeting online checkouts rose 212%.
