Fake Government Bond Scams

Fake or imposter bond scams usually impersonate real financial companies or banks and claim to offer Government/Treasury bonds or fixed-term deposits.

Scammers often use fake third-party comparison sites to reel in victims who are searching online for investment opportunities.

They can appear very convincing and people provide their details to the site under the impression that they are legitimately comparing real financial services and convinced they are making a long-term, legitimate investment.

Many victims of imposter bond scams are first contacted by phone, so it is critical to independently verify the financial institution or bank issuing the bonds or term deposit by calling the bank or financial service directly, using details you have sourced yourself rather than using any phone numbers or links provided.

If the contact identified themselves as an employee of the institution, ask to speak to them.

Also, it is recommended to have an accredited financial or legal advisor check any potential investment opportunity before you send any money or provide your credit card details and only ever invest as much as you can afford to lose.

If you have reason to believe you have been scammed, contact your bank or financial institution as soon as possible as they may be able to find where the money went, block scam accounts and help others to avoid sending money to scammers.


Treasury Bond Investment Scams

The first thing you should be aware of is financial institutions are not authorised to issue Treasury Bonds on behalf of the Australian Government.

Legitimate Treasury Bonds are usually bought by consumers through licensed ASX brokers or securities dealers.

Look out for offers made via links in emails - these emails sometimes contain typos - do not reply or click on links.

Fake Treasury Bond offers sometimes claim to be issued by financial institutions on behalf of the Australian Government via the Australian Office of Financial Management.

Be wary of fake bond offers that mirror the characteristics of the legitimate exchange-traded bond units (known as XTB) listed on the ASX but often claim to be offered from a different source, such as a financial institution.

Fake offers may also use copies of the legitimate AOFM products listed on the ASX to make the scam seem more legitimate.

All legitimate exchange-traded bonds are purchased through licensed financial service providers, either directly on the ASX or via managed investment schemes or other applicable financial products.


Fake Green Bonds

Green bonds are bonds that are used to finance new and existing projects that offer climate change and environmental benefits. In Australia, they can be purchased by superannuation funds, fund managers, insurance companies and other wholesale entities, but are not directly available to the public or retail investors. Any website or entity claiming otherwise is a scam.

Scammers may represent themselves as well-known financial services firms and invite people to invest in fictitious environmentally sustainable green bonds.

Before investing, it ids a good idea to share details, including any disclosure document, with your bank. This will help them check the legitimacy of the offer before transferring any funds.


Think you have been scammed?

• Do not send any more money


• Report it to your financial institution


• Be wary of follow-up scams promising to help get your money back (especially if situated outside Australia)


• Report it to your local police


• Report it to ASIC


• Request a free case review with SCAMAssist

Please also feel free to review our List of Known Scams.

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