Inside a Telstra impersonation scam that hit a Sydney grandmother

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Technology Reporter
10 Jun, 2026
I'm writing about this scam because the mechanics of it map almost perfectly onto the scam categories regulators are now trying to price into law, and because the loss landed at a number, $3,000, that's about to mean something very specific under Australian rules. It’s also a case of a person’s brain being hacked, and not their phone!
Inside a Telstra impersonation scam that hit a Sydney grandmother

I'm writing about this scam because the mechanics of it map almost perfectly onto the scam categories regulators are now trying to price into law, and because the loss landed at a number, $3,000, that's about to mean something very specific under Australian rules. It’s also a case of a person’s brain being hacked, and…

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