What this is
Just Checking, Mate is a free scam checker built for Australians. Paste a suspicious link, text, email or phone number and get an instant best-effort verdict — no account, no tracking, no data sold. It's an independent project by Aleks Linde (opens in a new tab), not a government service.
It gives a best-effort check only — it can't guarantee it catches every scam. For official reporting, use Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) and ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au/report).
When you check something
Nothing you paste is stored. The content is analysed in memory and discarded; we only count that a check happened. Screenshots and .eml files are processed in memory (QR decoding happens entirely on your device) and never written to disk.
We never open the links you check. The analysis is pure pattern-matching — no request is ever made to a scammer's site, so they can't tell their link is being investigated. Our security policy blocks the browser from contacting any outside server.
When you report a scam
A report stores exactly these things, and nothing else:
- The scam content and identifiers you submit — with tracking parameters stripped, your own email headers removed, and personal details (emails, phone numbers, tax file numbers and the like) automatically scrubbed before storage. Everything shown publicly is also “defanged” so it can't be clicked or dialled by accident.
- A coarse location, never your IP address. At submission time we derive a region from the connection — state level for Australia (e.g. “NSW, Australia”), country level elsewhere — and store only that string. It's shown on the public report so people can see where a scam is circulating. Your IP is used in memory for rate limiting while the request is processed and is never stored by the application; city-level detail is deliberately not used.
- Your email, only if you choose to give it. It's used solely to follow up on your report. It is never published, never shared with anyone, and never used for anything else.
Public reports are community-submitted and unverified. Want one removed or have a question about your data? Use the “Report a bug” button (bottom-right) with your report reference and your email — we'll sort it out.
Bug reports & tracking
If something breaks we may offer to send diagnostics, but nothing is ever sent without your explicit consent — you see the exact details (page, browser, error message) before deciding. The scam content you pasted and any files you uploaded are never included.
No analytics scripts, no advertising pixels, no cookies for tracking. Your language preference and view settings live in your own browser's storage and never leave it. The site's security policy prevents pages from talking to any third-party server at all.
How to block & report spam email
Checking a message here tells you if it's dodgy — but you can also stop that sender reaching you again. Blocking hides future messages; reporting also teaches your provider to catch the same scam for everyone else. Where possible, do both.
Gmail (web & app)
Open the message, tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right, then “Report spam” or “Report phishing”. To block the sender entirely, choose “Block [sender]” from the same menu — their future emails go straight to Spam.
Outlook / Hotmail
Select the message, then on the toolbar choose Junk → Phishing (or Block sender). In the mobile app, swipe or tap the three-dot menu and pick “Mark as junk” or “Block”.
Apple Mail (iPhone, iPad, Mac)
Tap the sender's name at the top of the email, then “Block this Contact”. To report, move the message to the Junk folder — on iPhone, swipe left and tap More → Move to Junk. iCloud learns from what you mark.
Yahoo Mail
Tick the message, then “Spam” on the toolbar (the drop-down lets you report phishing). Use More → Block senders to stop them entirely.
Whatever the client
Don't click “unsubscribe” on an email you think is a scam — it can confirm your address is live. Just mark it as spam/phishing and block. For Australian losses or data theft, also report to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au).
How to block & report spam calls & texts
For phone numbers, blocking stops that one number; reporting helps your carrier and the authorities shut down the wider operation.
iPhone (iOS)
Calls: open the Phone app → Recents → tap the ⓘ next to the number → scroll down → “Block this Caller”. Texts: open the message, tap the sender at the top → “Block this Caller”, and use “Report Junk” under the message. Turn on Settings → Apps → Messages → Filter Unknown Senders to shunt strangers into a separate list.
Android
Calls: open the Phone app → Recents → press and hold the number → “Block / report spam”. Texts: in Messages, open the conversation → three-dot menu → “Block & report spam”. In the Phone app's settings you can also enable “Caller ID & spam protection” to flag suspected scam calls automatically. (Wording varies slightly by phone maker.)
Report it to the authorities
In Australia you can forward scam texts free of charge to Scamwatch on 0429 999 888, and report scam calls and texts to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au). Your phone carrier can also help — Telstra, Optus and others have their own scam-reporting channels.
WhatsApp, Messenger & other apps
Open the chat, tap the contact's name or the three-dot menu, then “Block” and “Report”. Reporting sends a copy of recent messages to the app so it can act on the account — handy for scams that move off SMS.