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Scam Checker

Free practice sheet · Australia

Scam text practice sheet

Pause before you act. Use two fictional messages, three discussion questions and an answer key to practise checking an unfamiliar text. For digital mentors, community groups and anyone learning together.

Download the practice sheet (PDF)Read the full exercise below

One A4 page. No sign-up needed. Free to print and share unchanged with Scam Checker attribution.

How to use the sheet

Read each invented message and talk through the questions before opening the answers. You can use the printed sheet offline. There is no need to show a real inbox, share personal experiences or submit anything to a checker.

These examples are not real reports. Do not open or report the example address: the.invalidending is reserved for addresses that are not meant to work.

Two fictional messages

A · Parcel message

Parcel support: Your parcel is on hold. Pay $2.40 today to release it:

parcel.example.invalid

B · Bank message

Bank support: A payment is pending. Reply with the six-digit code we just sent to cancel it.

For each message, talk through three questions

  1. What does it ask you to do? What makes you pause?
  2. How would you check the claim without using its link or replying?
  3. If you had already acted, which trusted service would you contact?

Compare your answers

Open each answer when you are ready. The printed PDF includes both answers.

A · Check a parcel request independently

A payment request, deadline and unfamiliar link are reasons to pause. Check your order in the retailer's or courier's known app or website. A fee alone does not prove fraud.

B · Keep a bank security code private

Do not reply with a security code. Open your bank's usual app or call the number on your card to check the claim. A familiar sender name does not establish who sent it.

Choose the next step

Paid or shared bank details or a code? Contact your bank or card provider immediately through a trusted route. Ask it to secure the account and stop affected transactions.

After securing your details, report a real suspected scam to Scamwatch. Reporting is not a promise of recovery. Do not report these invented exercises.

The sheet uses Australian reporting guidance. Outside Australia, use our official reporting guide by country.

A note for mentors

Let learners control their own devices. Practise with fictional text. Never paste or collect passwords, codes, bank details or other identifying information. A checker can highlight warning signs; no result proves safety.

Our free text-message checker is optional. The exercise works without it. If you demonstrate a checker, use invented wording without the example address or real private details; do not promise a particular score.

Sources and sharing

Prepared by Sam at Scam Checker, an independent service. AI-assisted drafting; sources checked 5 September 2026. No endorsement by the named services. This page contains the full exercise from the PDF, with additional instructions for using and sharing it.

You may print and share this original sheet unchanged, free of charge, keeping its attribution and sources. Link to this page so readers can find the current edition. This permission covers our sheet; the linked services retain their own content terms.