Chekka

What it looked like just before it went wrong

Every scam looks reasonable right up until it doesn't. These are the moments where the signals were there to be read — and what they looked like at the time.

8stories
0reported to us
8dramatised

Two kinds of story here. Ones marked reported were sent to us by people who experienced them, published with their permission and edited only for length and clarity. Ones marked dramatised are reconstructions: the people and listings are invented, but the patterns come from real reports and published scam data. Nothing on this page is a real person's story with invented details added.

Man on a bed at night lit by a phone screen
Dramatised

Dramatised from reported cases

The betting system that showed him winning for six weeks

A sports investment group promised modelled returns on AFL markets. The dashboard showed steady profits. The withdrawal was what did not work.

It started as a free tips channel, then an invitation to a private group with a proper platform behind it. He put in $5,000 to test it. The dashboard tracked every bet and showed a balance climbing week on week. He added more. When he tried to withdraw, the platform asked for a tax clearance fee first, then a verification deposit. The balance he had been watching for six weeks had never existed.

  • Returns shown on a platform you cannot withdraw from
  • Fees required before you can take money out
  • Recruited through a free tips channel
  • Pressure to add more before withdrawing
Where
Instagram
Type
Investment
Outcome
Lost money
Value
Over $50,000
Laptop on a kitchen bench in a half-renovated house
Dramatised

Dramatised from reported cases

An invoice from a builder who had already been paid

The email came from the right address, referenced the right job, and asked for the final payment to go to updated bank details.

The renovation was nearly finished. The final invoice arrived on schedule, from the builder's own email address, in the same thread as every invoice before it, with a short note that the business had changed banks. The homeowner paid it. The builder rang four days later asking where the money was.

  • Bank details changed partway through a job
  • Change advised by email only
  • No phone call to a known number to confirm
  • Arrived in an existing, genuine email thread
Where
Email
Type
Payment redirect or fake invoice
Outcome
Lost money
Value
$10,000–$50,000
Woman alone at a cafe table with her phone
Dramatised

Dramatised from reported cases

Four months of conversation before money was ever mentioned

The relationship was real to her. The medical emergency, the frozen accounts and the temporary loan were the parts that were not.

They matched in March and moved to WhatsApp within a week, which felt like a good sign at the time. He worked offshore, which explained why they could never meet. Money came up for the first time in July, and only because of an emergency, and only as a loan. There were four more emergencies after that.

  • Moved off the app within days
  • Work that explains why you can never meet
  • First request framed as an emergency loan
  • Repayment always one step away
Where
Dating app
Type
Romance or relationship
Outcome
Lost money
Value
$10,000–$50,000
Clothes dryer in a garage marked sold
Dramatised

Dramatised from reported cases

The buyer had already paid — according to the email

A confirmation arrived from what looked like her bank, saying the transfer was held pending a business account upgrade.

The buyer offered full asking price for the dryer, sight unseen, and said he would send a courier. The confirmation email arrived within minutes: funds received, held pending an account upgrade, release the item and the money clears. A second email asked her to transfer a small fee to trigger the release. She rang her bank instead, using the number on her card.

  • Buyer pays asking price without seeing the item
  • Payment held pending an account upgrade
  • Seller asked to pay a fee to release funds
  • Courier arranged by the buyer
Where
Gumtree
Type
Impersonation (bank, government, delivery)
Outcome
Spotted it in time
Value
Under $500
Older woman on a landline with a laptop open
Dramatised

Dramatised from reported cases

The call about a problem with the internet that did not exist

The caller knew which provider the account was with, and wanted to install software to fix a fault nobody had reported.

The call came mid-afternoon and opened with an apology about the outage in the area. To fix it, they needed to check the router from their end, which meant installing a support tool. Once that was running, they asked her to log into internet banking so they could confirm the refund for the disruption had gone through.

  • Unsolicited call about a fault you did not report
  • Asked to install remote access software
  • Refund offered for a problem you had not noticed
  • Asked to log into banking while they watch
Where
Phone call
Type
Tech support or refund scam
Outcome
Nearly lost money
Value
$2,000–$10,000
Phone showing a vehicle listing outside an empty carport
Dramatised

Dramatised from reported cases

The ute that was always about to be sold to someone else

Priced below market, a seller who had just been posted interstate, and a deposit that had to be paid before anyone else got there.

Seven photos, a fair description, and a price low enough to be interesting without being absurd. When the buyer asked to inspect it, the seller explained he was Navy, already posted east, and the ute was in a container yard awaiting transport. He would cover the freight. He just needed a holding deposit, and there was someone else asking about it.

  • Price below market for the condition described
  • Seller cannot meet or show the item
  • A second buyer is always waiting
  • Deposit requested before inspection
Where
Facebook Marketplace
Type
Fake product listing
Outcome
Lost money
Value
Under $500
Young woman at a desk with a laptop and phone
Dramatised

Dramatised from reported cases

The remote job that paid for the first two tasks

Product reviewing, flexible hours, paid daily. The first two payments arrived. The third required her to top up her own account first.

The message came through a job board and moved to WhatsApp for the interview. The work was simple: complete sets of product reviews on a platform, get paid per set. The first two payouts landed in her account the same day. From the third set onward, higher-value tasks required a deposit to unlock, which the platform said would be returned with the commission.

  • Interview conducted entirely over messaging
  • Early payments arrive to build confidence
  • Asked to deposit your own money to unlock work
  • Pay per task with no employment paperwork
Where
Job board
Type
Fake job offer or recruitment
Outcome
Lost money
Value
$500–$2,000
Woman outside a brick rental house with closed blinds
Dramatised

Dramatised from reported cases

A bond confirmation on government letterhead, for a house she never entered

She met the landlord outside the property. He explained the current tenants would not allow an inspection, and the paperwork looked official.

The listing was priced sensibly and the photos matched the street. They met on the verge outside, where he explained the tenants had another fortnight and would not allow anyone inside. She paid the bond and two weeks' rent. The confirmation email arrived the next morning on what appeared to be government letterhead. A week later a second email asked for one more month in advance.

  • Cannot view the inside of the property
  • Money requested before any inspection
  • Official-looking confirmation received by email
  • A further payment requested after the bond
Where
Facebook Marketplace
Type
Rental or accommodation
Outcome
Lost money
Value
$2,000–$10,000

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