A call from "Telstra" or "NBN" saying your internet is hacked? Hang up. Here's how the scam works

If someone has just rung saying they’re from Telstra or NBN and your internet has been hacked, hang up. If you didn’t install anything, read out a code, give card or bank details or log in to your bank while they were on the line, they didn’t get into your computer or your bank, and you’ve done nothing wrong. If you did let them in, go straight to what to do if you already let them in, then have the computer checked at home after a scam call.

We’re an independent technician, not Telstra, NBN Co or your provider, with decades in the trade fixing phone lines and internet connections in people’s homes. So we can say plainly what a real technician visit looks like, and what this call sounds like.

How does the fake technician call work?

Someone rings out of the blue, says they’re from Telstra, NBN or your internet provider, and tells you there’s something wrong with your internet or computer. Then they talk you into installing an app that lets them control your computer, and once they’re in, they go after your bank. Scamwatch describes it the same way: the caller asks for remote access “to find out what the problem is”, and once connected can control your screen, get into your files and open your apps.

The call usually goes in four stages:

1. 1

   The call you weren't expecting

   A person, or a recorded message, says they're from Telstra, NBN or your provider. Some give an employee number or call themselves a technician. You didn't report a fault, and nobody has booked a visit.

2. 2

   The fright

   Your internet has been hacked. Your IP address is compromised. Your internet is slow. Your service will be cut off today. The point is to frighten you into acting before you can think.

3. 3

   The app

   To fix it, they need you to install an app such as AnyDesk, TeamViewer or Quick Assist, then type in a code they give you or click accept. From that moment they can control the computer while you watch.

4. 4

   The money

   Now they ask you to log in to your bank "to check it hasn't been hacked", or to read out a code that has just arrived by text. Some ask for a card number, or for payment in gift cards.

An example call, built from the warning signs NBN Co, Telstra and IDCARE list. Not a real call.

The call comes in. The fright. The ask. Hang up, then what to do.

The call comes in.

Incoming call. Unknown number.

1. Caller: Hello, I'm calling from the technical department at your phone company.
2. Giveaway: a call you weren't expecting. Telstra, for one, says it won't call about a technical matter unless you contacted it first.
3. Caller: We've detected that your internet has been hacked.
4. Giveaway: NBN Co lists a call saying your connection has been hacked among the calls it doesn't make.
5. You: I didn't report a fault.

The fright.

1. Caller: If we don't fix it now, your NBN will be cut off today.
2. Giveaway: a threat to cut you off. Telstra says it won't threaten to disconnect your internet and ask for remote access.
3. Caller: Please stay on the line, and don't tell anyone. It's a security matter.
4. Giveaway: pressure to stay on the call or keep it secret, a warning sign IDCARE lists.
5. You: Can I ring you back?
6. Caller: No, this is urgent.

The ask.

1. Caller: Go to your computer. I need you to install an app so I can fix it.
2. This is the moment to hang up. Someone who rang you wants to get into your computer. NBN Co says it won't ask you to install software that lets someone else in.
3. Caller: Now log in to your bank so I can check it hasn't been hacked.
4. Giveaway: IDCARE lists being asked to log in to your bank as a warning sign.
5. Caller: You'll get a code by text. Read it out to me.
6. Giveaway: Telstra says it won't call and ask for the one-time code sent by text.

Hang up, then what to do.

Call ended.

1. Hang up. You don't owe them a goodbye.
2. Didn't install anything or share a code? Nothing has been taken. Block the number and report it to Scamwatch.
3. Let them in? Turn off the WiFi or unplug the internet cable, ring your bank, then change your passwords from another device.
4. Ring IDCARE on 1800 595 160 for free help.

Throughout, they keep you on the line. IDCARE, the national identity support service, lists pressure to act straight away, stay on the call or keep it secret as a warning sign. In IDCARE’s words, a legitimate service won’t pressure you to act.

What are the giveaways in a scam call?

The biggest giveaway is the call itself: Telstra says it won’t call you about a service or technical matter unless you contacted it first. After that, any one of the lines below is enough to hang up. Each is something Telstra, NBN Co or IDCARE says on its own pages.

What the caller says, and why it gives them away

What the caller says	Why it gives them away
"We're calling about a problem with your internet"	Telstra says it won't call about a technical matter unless you contacted it first, and tells you about faults in writing
"Your connection has been hacked" or "has a security issue"	NBN Co lists this among the calls it doesn't make
"Your service will be cut off", sometimes as a recorded message	NBN Co says it doesn't use recorded messages to say you'll be disconnected, or threaten to cut you off unless you pay. Telstra says it won't threaten to disconnect your internet and ask for remote access
"Install this app so I can fix it"	NBN Co says it won't ask you to install software that lets someone else into your computer or phone
"Log in to your bank so we can check it"	IDCARE lists this as a warning sign: they want to watch your screen while you do it
"Read me the code we just texted you"	Telstra says it won't call and ask you for the one-time code sent by text
"I'm a Telstra technician, my ID number is..."	Telstra lists fake employee numbers, and callers who describe themselves as Telstra technicians, as signs of a scammer
"Pay with gift cards"	NBN Co says it doesn't ask for payment by gift card

NBN Co’s full list is on its protect yourself from scams page (opens in a new tab), and Telstra’s is on its page on whether it’s really Telstra contacting you (opens in a new tab).

If it came as a text or an email instead, how to check a message without clicking it works the same way.

Is it really Telstra or NBN calling? How to check

Hang up, then ring the company back on a number you found yourself: the one on your bill, your account, the company’s website or the label on the modem. Never use a number the caller gives you. NBN Co gives the same four steps: ask for their details, hang up if you’re unsure, contact the company using details you found, and don’t ring a number they gave you.

It helps to know who actually sells you the internet. NBN Co says its network is a wholesale network: it doesn’t sell phone or internet services directly to households. So someone “from NBN” trying to sell you a plan is a giveaway on its own, and NBN Co also lists calls offering a rebate for slow speeds or a 5G service among the ones it doesn’t make. Your provider is the company whose name is on the bill.

The ACMA, the government’s communications regulator, puts it in four words: if in doubt, don’t. Don’t answer, don’t click on links, don’t give personal details and don’t give money.

What does a real technician visit look like?

A real visit is one that you or your provider arranged before anyone turned up. IDCARE says genuine remote help is subscription based or pre-arranged, and happens after you have contacted the provider yourself. Here is what each kind of real contact looks like:

• Your provider. Telstra says it tells you in writing about any technical fault that needs your attention, and won’t call about a technical matter unless you contacted it first. A call back about a fault you reported is one thing; a call out of nowhere about a fault you’ve never noticed is another.
• An NBN Co worker. NBN Co says it doesn’t call about switching your internet technology unless it relates to a legitimate appointment arranged through your provider. Its authorised workers carry a digital ID card with a QR code, and you can scan it to check their authorisation is current. Ask to see it before you let anyone in.
• Us. You book us, online or by ringing us, and we come to the house. We don’t do remote support, and we don’t ring people out of the blue to say something is wrong with their computer. Everything we do is on the device in front of both of us, where you can see it.

The callers lean on the fact that most people can’t tell who does what on the NBN. Who tests what on your connection explains it plainly: your provider tests remotely, an NBN technician tests up to the boundary of your home, and an independent technician like us tests the whole path, inside the house too.

What if my internet really is slow?

Then it’s worth checking yourself, without anyone on the phone. Check for an NBN outage in your area first, then work out whether the problem is the computer or the internet with tests anyone can do in two minutes. If it is the connection, the four causes of a slow NBN shows how to tell which one you have.

If you’re worried that the modem itself has been tampered with, a home network case where the owner feared exactly that shows which signs have ordinary explanations and which are worth acting on.

What to do if you already let them in

Get the computer off the internet, hang up, and ring your bank, in that order. Then change your passwords from a different device. Speed matters more than getting every step perfect, so start at the top and work down:

1. 1

   Cut the connection

   Turn off the WiFi, unplug the internet cable from the computer, or switch on airplane mode. IDCARE gives these three ways to stop the remote connection. Keep the computer offline until the app they used is removed and the computer has been checked.

2. 2

   Hang up and stop talking to them

   End the call and don't answer if they ring or message again. They may say your bank accounts are at risk if you hang up. That is part of the scam.

3. 3

   Ring your bank now

   Use the number on your card or the bank's website. Tell them a scammer had access to your computer and ask them to stop any transactions. IDCARE's advice is to assume anything on the computer may have been seen.

4. 4

   Change your passwords from another device

   On a phone or tablet you trust, not the computer they were on, change your banking and email passwords first, then any others. Turn on two-step sign-in where you can. If your browser saved passwords, change those too.

5. 5

   Write down what happened

   The names they used, the number they rang from, the app and any ID number it showed. NBN Co suggests keeping these, and they help the bank, IDCARE and the police.

If the caller changed your password and you’re locked out, how to get back into your Apple Account or Microsoft account uses only the makers’ own steps.

Then ring for help and report it. These are the services that deal with it, and IDCARE’s help is free:

Who to contact after a scam call

Who	When	How
Your bank or card provider	Straight away, if they were on your computer or heard your bank or card details	The number on your card or the bank's website
IDCARE	For free help with what to do next, especially if they saw your ID or bank details	1800 595 160, or idcare.org
Scamwatch	To report the call, whether or not you lost anything	The report form at scamwatch.gov.au
Services Australia	If they got into your myGov account	Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk, 1800 941 126
Police	To report the scam, as NBN Co suggests; call 000 if anyone is in immediate danger	Your local police

IDCARE’s fact sheet on remote access scams (opens in a new tab) sets out the same steps in more detail, and is worth printing for a parent.

Have the computer checked before you use it again

Scamwatch’s advice is to uninstall the remote access software and run antivirus software to check for other malware. If you’re comfortable doing that yourself, do it before you use the computer for banking or email again. If you’d rather someone did it with you, a home visit to check and clean up the computer after a scam covers it: we remove what they installed, check the computer over, switch the updates and backups on, and sit beside you while you change your passwords. You sign in to your own accounts yourself; we never sign in as you.

If your email or Facebook starts sending messages you didn’t write afterwards, follow the steps for a hacked email or Facebook account.

How do you block and report scam calls?

You can’t stop every scam call, but you can let unknown numbers go to voicemail, block a number once it has rung, and report it so others are warned. The ACMA’s advice is simple: if you don’t know who it is, don’t answer. Let it go to voicemail, and listen to the message when you’re ready.

On an iPhone

To block a number that has called you, open the Phone app and tap Recents. Tap the Info button next to the number (in Apple’s newer Unified view the list is under Calls, and you tap the number or contact instead), then scroll down and tap Block Caller. To send calls from unknown numbers straight to voicemail, go to Settings, tap Apps, tap Phone, choose Screen Unknown Callers and pick Silence.

On an Android phone

On phones that use Google’s Phone app, open it, tap More, then Call history, tap a call from the number and choose Block / report spam. In the same app’s Settings, under Blocked numbers, turning on Unknown blocks calls from private or hidden numbers. Phones from other makers can use a different phone app; the ACMA’s advice is that your phone company can tell you how to block callers.

Report it

Report the call to Scamwatch with the report a scam form (opens in a new tab), even if you hung up straight away. If the caller said they were from Telstra, Telstra also takes reports through its Report Misuse of Service form. Scamwatch says reports help it work with organisations to remove scam websites, and warn the community about new scams.

When to call us, and when you don’t need to

If you hung up and installed nothing, you don’t need anyone. Block the number, report it, and tell the rest of the family what the call sounded like, so they know it when it comes.

If you let them in, ring the bank and IDCARE first; they come before any technician. Then the computer needs checking before it goes back on the internet, and that’s what our home tech support visit does. Be clear on what a visit covers: we do setup and help, the clean-up included, but not hardware repair or data recovery. If the internet itself is playing up, an internet technician who tests the line, the NBN box and the modem is the right booking. If you have a real NBN fault and your provider insists it’s your wiring, that standoff is what our independent NBN technician visit is for.

Not sure which you need? Send us a message, or ring us on 02 9188 1577.