Foreword from The Hon Anoulack Chanthivong, New South Wales Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading
The Hon Anoulack Chanthivong
For many Australians, buying a home is one of the biggest purchases they’ll make, representing years of hard work, sacrifice and planning. It should be one of life’s most rewarding milestones. Yet for a growing number of people, buying a home is becoming a time of heightened vulnerability to increasingly sophisticated scams and an opportunity for scammers to target life’s biggest financial transaction.
The findings in this report show that the threat of property settlement scams is not only real but evolving. While awareness of scams has increased, confidence in identifying them is declining. At the same time, new technologies like artificial intelligence are enabling criminals to create increasingly convincing scams that can catch even the most vigilant consumers off guard.
Behind every scam statistic is a real person, whether a first-home buyer who’s spent years saving for a deposit, a family planning their next chapter, or a retiree looking to invest and secure their future. The financial loss can be devastating, but the emotional toll, stress, and loss of confidence can be just as significant.
Addressing this challenge requires a shared commitment. Governments, regulators and industry must continue working together to strengthen safeguards, improve awareness and build trust in the systems that support property transactions.
Awareness remains one of our strongest defenses. The simple message: Stop, Check, Protect, urges consumers to take the time to verify information and question unexpected requests, as it can make all the difference.
I commend PEXA for its leadership in highlighting the risks of property settlement scams and for contributing valuable insights that support evidence-based action. Together, we can strengthen consumer confidence, reduce the harm caused by scams and ensure Australians can pursue the dream of home ownership with greater security and peace of mind.
How prepared are Australians to avoid property fund transfer scams?
For most Australians, buying a property is the biggest transaction they’ll ever make.
The movement of large amounts of money makes buyers an attractive target for sophisticated scammers attempting to take advantage of a stressful, complex and unfamiliar process.
For Scam Awareness Week 2026, PEXA commissioned research to understand property fund transfer scam awareness and behaviour among those who have bought or intend to buy property. Our research looked at:
- how confident people feel spotting scams
- what they’d do if targeted.
Building on our 2025 research, this year’s study reveals how attitudes and behaviours are changing over time.
Four key findings from this research
Australian homebuyers are less confident about spotting scams
Compared with last year, Australian property buyers overall confidence that they can identify a scam has dropped from 51% in 2025 to 41% in 2026. It’s a sign of greater recognition of how sophisticated and convincing today's scams can be.
As scam awareness grows, human verification matters more than ever
Checking in with a real, known person – whether face to face or over the phone – remains the top choice for avoiding scams and safely sharing sensitive information, with those intending to buy most likely to seek
Australians are more alert, but still struggle to spot scams
Although Australians are increasingly seeking human verification during property transactions, many remain susceptible to scams. A third would still transfer funds after receiving a scam email, and four in ten failed to identify any scam markers, even after being told the email was fraudulent.
Buying a property is considered one of life's most stressful events
Almost nine in ten Australians consider buying a property one of life’s most stressful events, alongside moving cities or countries and getting divorced. Greater sophistication in property scams is adding further pressure to an already stressful experience.
Scam type awareness
Most Australians are aware of at least one type of scam, with phishing scams still the most familiar, followed by fake sale/rental listings and property investment scams.
AI Voice Cloning is a new category added in 2026 (N/A = not asked in 2025).
Confidence in identifying scams
Buyers are feeling less confident about spotting property scams, highlighting growing concern about how sophisticated scams have become.
Where scam identification confidence has decreased most
Confidence by scam type
While those who recently bought property feel more confident than those intending to buy, overall confidence in spotting property scams remains low across all scam types.
