DateableWhat to lock down after a scammer gets your details
Change your email and banking passwords the same day. Turn on multi-factor authentication, call your phone provider and contact IDCARE if they have ID.
If a scammer has your personal details, lock down your accounts the same day. Your email and banking passwords, multi-factor authentication, and your phone number are the fastest ways they break in.
Change your email password first
Your email is the key to everything else. If a scammer gets into it, they can reset all your other passwords and lock you out of your accounts. Every other password on the internet flows through your email, because that is how you recover them. Use a long password, one you have never used anywhere else and one you will not use on any other site.
If you are not sure whether they have it, change it anyway. You can do it from your phone in thirty seconds and it is the fastest shield you have. Do it before you do anything else today.
Secure your banking passwords and turn on multi-factor authentication
Change every banking password at once. If they got your details through a dating scam, they will try your banking login first. Do not use a password similar to the one they saw you type.
Turn on multi-factor authentication, also called two-factor or two-step verification. This means they cannot get in even if they have your password. Text message, an authenticator app or a security key all work. 1
Call your phone provider about your number
Scammers can port your number to a new phone they control. Once they do, they can intercept the SMS codes your bank sends to reset your password, and the one-time PINs that prove you are you. 1 This is the quickest way into your money.
Ring your phone provider today and ask them to flag your number for porting security. They will add a note to your account so nobody can switch it to another device without you in the room, or sometimes after you answer a security question over the phone. Ask what their process is.
If you do notice unexpected contact from your phone provider about your number, or if you suddenly lose signal, call them straight away on the number on your bill, not any number someone sends you. 1
Set up bank alerts
Log into your bank and turn on alerts for every transaction, login and password change. You will get an SMS or email the moment someone tries anything. Read them as they come in. If you see a login from a place you were not, or a transaction you did not make, ring your bank.
Call IDCARE if they have your ID
If the scammer has your date of birth, driver's license number, passport number or any government ID, they can start opening accounts in your name. Contact IDCARE at 1800 595 160 (Monday to Friday, 7am-7pm AEST) or +61 7 3555 5900 from overseas. 2
IDCARE is free and they will help you work out what the scammer can reach and what to do about it. They also help with your privacy if your ID is being misused.
Watch for these warning signs
- Being locked out of your own accounts, especially email or banking.
- Unexpected contact from your phone provider about your account, or losing service without explanation.
- Text messages or calls asking you to confirm you did not make a login or change your password: this is your bank protecting you, answer honestly.
- Statements arriving with transactions you did not make.
- Being rejected when you try to log in from a device you use every day.
If you see any of these, do not wait. Call your bank and your phone provider the same day.
What to say when you call
You do not need to explain everything. Scammers and fraud are something your bank hears about every day. Be direct about what you need.
I think a scammer got my details on a dating site. I want to add a porting security note to my number so nobody can move it without me, and I want alerts on all my transactions and logins. What is your process?
What to do if they got into your accounts
Change all your passwords from a device and location you trust: your home, on your own internet, from a phone only you use. If you can lock yourself back in, do it now. Then call your bank and your phone provider and tell them what happened.
Report the account to Dateable and report the person to police. Your guides to what to do if something goes wrong have the numbers for your state and country.
Small personal details like pet names and birthdays help scammers guess passwords and break into your other accounts. 3 Use strong passwords that have nothing to do with anything a stranger could learn about you. If you used the same password anywhere else, change it there too. Protect your privacy by never sharing details a scammer can turn into a key.
Sources
- Scamwatch (ACCC) (2026). Account or identity takeover scams.
- IDCARE (2026). IDCARE.
- Get Cyber Safe (Government of Canada) (2023). Spot the signs of a catfish on dating platforms.
