Avoid Travel Scams2026–2027 Guide
Report a Scam
Destination · Oceania

Travel Scams in Melbourne

Melbourne's scam profile is defined by three well-documented schemes: unaccredited drivers posing as Uber and taxi drivers at the airport, fake Buddhist monks working the CBD and Southbank, and ticket-resale fraud around the city's packed sports and concert calendar. Consumer Affairs Victoria and the state government issue regular warnings on all three, alongside rental scams that prey on international students and new arrivals.

1. Fake Uber and taxi drivers at Melbourne Airport

Unaccredited drivers loiter near the rideshare pick-up area and taxi ranks offering rides, sometimes matching or undercutting app prices. Melbourne Airport posts signs reading 'If you are approached for a taxi or a ride - do not accept. These drivers are not authorised.' A documented variation targets Uber riders: the driver asks for your ride PIN, then claims the PIN and the app 'aren't working' once on the freeway, and pressures you to pay in cash whatever Uber would have charged. Safe Transport Victoria rules require the meter to run on every taxi trip and the fare cannot exceed the metered amount; the airport says enforcement with Safe Transport Victoria and the AFP has led to fines and 12-month bans for illegal drivers.

Warning signs

  • A driver solicits you in the pick-up area rather than you booking through the app
  • Driver asks for your ride PIN before the trip, then claims the app 'isn't working'
  • No accreditation ID, booking confirmation or matching plate/photo
  • Demand for cash payment equal to 'whatever the app charges'

How to avoid it

  • Only collect a rideshare from the designated zone after verifying the driver's photo, plate and vehicle in the app - Melbourne Airport also uses a six-digit PIN system
  • Refuse all unsolicited ride offers and report them to airport security or Uber's on-the-ground team
  • In taxis, insist the meter runs from the start; the fare legally cannot exceed the metered amount
  • Take the SkyBus to Southern Cross Station as a scam-proof alternative
Sources

2. Fake Buddhist monks in the CBD and Southbank

Victoria's Minister for Consumer Affairs has formally warned that people posing as Buddhist monks - shaved heads, orange robes, sometimes women - approach pedestrians in the Melbourne CBD, South Wharf and Southbank. They bow, smile and push a plastic hologram Buddha picture, prayer beads or an amulet into the target's hand, then ask for cash, sometimes showing a notebook of 'donations' and 'blessing' the donor. A genuine monk from a Braybrook temple confirmed to authorities that monastic rules forbid monks from asking for money at all.

Warning signs

  • Robed 'monk' approaches you in a tourist area and presses a trinket into your hand
  • Cash demanded in exchange for the item or a 'blessing'
  • A notebook of previous donations is used as social proof
  • No identification or registered charity details offered

How to avoid it

  • Refuse the item and walk on - real monks do not solicit cash from strangers
  • Ask face-to-face collectors for identification and the charity's full name and registration
  • Donate only to registered charities via official channels
  • Report fundraising scams to Consumer Affairs Victoria's 'Dob in a Scam' service
Sources

3. Event ticket resale fraud

Melbourne's dense calendar of AFL, Australian Open, Formula 1 and arena concerts feeds a resale market where buyers report overpaying for tickets that were cheaper through official outlets, paying for tickets that never arrive, or being turned away at the gate with invalid tickets. Consumer Affairs Victoria received more than 1,100 reports about event ticketing and resales in a single financial year, including one buyer who lost over $600 on tickets from a resale site that were never delivered. Australian Consumer Law requires online resellers to disclose they are a reseller and to show the original ticket price.

Warning signs

  • Prices far above face value, or 'last tickets' urgency pressure
  • Seller will not disclose the original ticket price as the law requires
  • Tickets sold through social media DMs or unverified resale sites
  • No ABN or verifiable business identity behind the seller

How to avoid it

  • Buy through the official ticketing outlet (Ticketek, Ticketmaster or the venue) first
  • If using resale, use authorised resale platforms and keep receipts and bank records for a chargeback
  • Check the reseller's Australian Business Number and read independent reviews
  • Report suspected ticket scams to Consumer Affairs Victoria
Sources

4. Rental scams targeting students and new arrivals

Consumer Affairs Victoria warns that scammers advertise rental properties - often pitched at students and people newly arrived in Melbourne - on well-known property websites and social media. They claim to be overseas, conduct everything online, and use photos, real addresses, land title deeds and even scans of stolen passports to look genuine before asking for a month's bond and rent to 'secure' the property. Some show victims through properties they have no right to rent; payments by money transfer are effectively unrecoverable, and harvested identity documents feed further fraud.

Warning signs

  • Landlord says they are overseas and the whole deal must be done online
  • Bond and rent demanded before you can inspect the property
  • Payment requested by money transfer or direct bank deposit
  • Requests for scans of your passport, licence or bank details up front

How to avoid it

  • Never pay before inspecting the property in person or through someone you trust
  • Verify the agent independently with the estate agency they claim to represent
  • For Victorian rentals, ask to pay the bond directly to the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority
  • Reverse-image-search listing photos to check they are not copied from another site
Sources

Practical safety briefing

  • Airport arrival: SkyBus runs express from Melbourne Airport to Southern Cross Station and avoids the tout problem entirely. If using a car, take taxis only from the signed ranks and rideshare only from the designated pick-up zone after matching the plate and photo in the app - the airport itself warns against accepting any ride that is offered to you.
  • Trusted transport: Uber, DiDi and Ola operate citywide with upfront pricing; licensed taxis must run the meter. Locals use the myki card on trains, trams and buses, and the Free Tram Zone covers the CBD grid.
  • Money & payments: Use ATMs attached to major banks (Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Westpac, NAB) rather than standalone machines in tourist strips. Cards and contactless payment are accepted almost everywhere; always choose to be charged in AUD when a terminal offers your home currency.

Official travel advisories

  • US State Dept — Notes visitors in popular tourist areas of Australia's larger cities are targets for pickpockets and petty thieves, and that online financial and romance scams are prevalent.
  • UK FCDO — Urges care with belongings in busy tourist areas at night and directs travellers to Scamwatch for the scam types currently targeting people in Australia.
  • NZ SafeTravel — New Zealand government advice for Australia flagging bag snatching, passport theft and pickpocketing as petty-crime risks for visitors.

Compiled from documented reports and government advisories. How we verify scams. Last verified July 2026.