Buying a home

Red flags and scams when hiring property professionals

The warning signs for each professional a buyer pays, how payment redirection scams target settlement, and five checks before you send money.

The short answer

Payment redirection scams commonly target property settlement: a scammer poses as your solicitor, conveyancer or another trusted party and sends altered bank details (ACCC (Scamwatch), verified 1 Aug 2026). These scams cost Australians $166.8 million in 2025 (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, verified 22 Oct 2026). Never pay to bank details that arrive by email until you have phoned the business on a number you found yourself (National Anti-Scam Centre (ACCC), verified 22 Oct 2026). The other red flags are about the professional: not licensed, no written fee, or a link to the seller's side.

How the settlement scam works

• The Australian Cyber Security Centre warned on 30 August 2021 that cybercriminals are targeting all parties in the real estate sector, with a particular focus on impersonating conveyancing lawyers and communicating with their clients, by hacking email accounts or using similar domain names to send false bank details for settlement payments. Its advice is to confirm any change of bank details by calling the sender's established phone number or meeting them face-to-face, and to protect email accounts with strong passphrases and multi-factor authentication. (Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre, verified 22 Oct 2026)
• Scamwatch (ACCC) warns that payment redirection scams — also called business email compromise scams — commonly target property settlement payments, with scammers impersonating a solicitor, conveyancer or other trusted party and sending an email with altered bank account details. Scamwatch recommends: 'Don't rush to act. Take the time to call the business you are dealing with — using contact details you've found independently — to check the payment details are correct.' A professional-looking email or an email thread that appears genuine does not prove payment instructions are genuine. (ACCC (Scamwatch), verified 1 Aug 2026)

Five checks before you pay anyone

1. Get their number yourself, early. Save your conveyancer's and lender's phone numbers from a source you found independently, such as their own website, and use those to check payment details, never the contact details in an email. (National Anti-Scam Centre (ACCC), verified 22 Oct 2026)
2. Treat any change of payee details as a warning sign. Payment details that change without notice, or an email address slightly different to the usual one, are the signs Scamwatch lists. (National Anti-Scam Centre (ACCC), verified 22 Oct 2026)
3. Call before you pay. Confirm the account by calling the sender's established phone number, or meet them face-to-face. (Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre, verified 22 Oct 2026)
4. Read the Confirmation of Payee result. When you enter a BSB and account number, a participating bank shows a match, a close match or no match against the name. It does not stop the payment, so a close match or no match means stop and call. (Australian Banking Association, verified 22 Oct 2026)
5. Lock down your own email. Use a strong passphrase and multi-factor authentication, because scammers also hack email accounts. (Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre, verified 22 Oct 2026)

Red flags, professional by professional

Each flag is drawn from the guidance cited next to it, so the state is shown where the rule is a state rule. Where to check each licence is in licence checks by state.

If money has already gone

• Scamwatch describes business email compromise (payment redirection) scams as scammers pretending to be from a business you've used and sending an invoice with new payee information. Warning signs include payment details that change without notice and an email address that is slightly different to what you normally see. Its advice is to stop and check any change to payee information and contact the business by phone using a number you have sourced independently, not the contact details in the email. If you have been scammed, contact your bank immediately; IDCARE, Australia and New Zealand's national identity and cyber support service, is on 1800 595 160, and reporting the scam to Scamwatch helps stop it and warn others. (National Anti-Scam Centre (ACCC), verified 22 Oct 2026)

Act straight away and tell your conveyancer too. The step-by-step guide for settlement day is how to transfer settlement funds safely.

How big the problem is

• Australians reported $2.18 billion lost to scams in 2025 across Scamwatch, ReportCyber, IDCARE, the AFCX and ASIC, from 274,577 reports that involved a financial loss. Payment redirection scams cost $166.8 million in 2025, up from $152.6 million in 2024, and were one of the five scam types with the highest losses (ACCC Targeting Scams report, released 30 March 2026). (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, verified 22 Oct 2026)
• Confirmation of Payee began rolling out from July 2025 and, as at July 2026, is live at participating banks (more than 100 institutions). Before a payment made with a BSB and account number, it checks the name you entered against the account and shows a match, a close match or no match. It is an advisory checkpoint, not a block: you can still send after a close match or no match, and it does not check accounts held overseas. (Australian Banking Association, verified 22 Oct 2026)

Common questions

What is a payment redirection scam?

A scammer poses as a business you deal with, such as your conveyancer, and sends new bank details so your payment goes to them. Payment redirection scams cost Australians $166.8 million in 2025.

Does Confirmation of Payee stop scams?

It helps but does not block anything. It shows whether the name matches the account before you pay; you can still send after a close match or no match, and it does not check overseas accounts.

What should I do if I have sent money to a scammer?

Contact your bank immediately, then tell your conveyancer. IDCARE, the national identity and cyber support service, is on 1800 595 160, and you can report the scam to Scamwatch.

Practical checklist

Before you send a deposit or settlement money

• Phone the business on a number from its own website, not from the email
• Check that the account name gets a match on Confirmation of Payee
• Treat any change of bank details as a scam until you have confirmed it by phone
• Turn on multi-factor authentication for your email

Questions for a professional

• Will you ever change your bank details by email? (The safe answer is no.)
• How should I confirm your trust account details before I pay?
• Do you receive any payment connected with my purchase from anyone other than me?

Official resources

• Scamwatch: business email compromise scams
• cyber.gov.au: property-related business email compromise scams
• Scamwatch: Targeting scams report

Sources and methodology

• Continued action critical to combat fraud as annual scam losses exceed $2 billion | ACCC — Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Targeting scams report | Scamwatch — National Anti-Scam Centre (ACCC) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Scam alert: Fake business invoice scams — ACCC (Scamwatch) (retrieved 1 Aug 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Property-related business email compromise scams rising in Australia | cyber.gov.au — Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Business email compromise scams | Scamwatch — National Anti-Scam Centre (ACCC) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Confirmation of Payee | Australian Banking Association — Australian Banking Association (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Australian banks launch new defence in battle against scammers | Australian Payments Plus — Australian Payments Plus (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Public register of licensed conveyancers | Consumer Affairs Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria (Business Licensing Authority) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Check a licence for a property agent or conveyancer | NSW Government — NSW Fair Trading (NSW Government) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
• Settlement agents | Consumer Protection WA — Consumer Protection, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (WA) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Consumer Protection licence and registration search | Consumer Protection WA — Consumer Protection WA (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Using a real estate agent to buy a property | NSW Government — NSW Fair Trading (NSW Government) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
• Planning to buy a property | Consumer Protection WA — Consumer Protection WA (retrieved 23 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• From the Commissioner: Thinking of using a buyer's agent? Follow these tips | Consumer Protection WA — Consumer Protection WA (retrieved 23 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Authorities, rebates and commission — estate agents — Consumer Affairs Victoria (retrieved 15 Aug 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Inspect properties before you buy | Consumer Affairs Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
• Pre-purchase inspection reports for buyers | NSW Government — NSW Fair Trading (NSW Government) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
• Pre-purchase inspection reports (agents) | NSW Government — NSW Fair Trading (NSW Government) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
• Using a mortgage broker | Moneysmart (ASIC) — Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Moneysmart) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site

Figures on this page are drawn from Delora's local knowledge graph, refreshed from these primary sources and checked for changes on a regular schedule. If a figure here looks out of date, the official source above is always the authority — please let us know.