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Bushfire zone residents urged to be wary of fake tradies

By Contributed

Mar 17, 2026

After bushfires devastated large parts of Victoria, unscrupulous fake tradies have been targeting those trying to rebuild. Photo by Bree Harding

Victorians whose properties have been damaged by the 2026 bushfires have been urged to be wary of being scammed by fake tradies.

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Consumer Affairs Victoria has received numerous reports of bushfire victims paying for shoddy work or work that is not delivered, with dodgy operators taking advantage of vulnerable people.

Fake tradies appear more frequently during warmer weather and after natural disasters such as floods, fires and storms, when afflicted homeowners are cleaning up or repairing their properties.

Homeowners should be wary of unexpected offers for repairs, ‘today only’ deals, upfront cash payments for work, or help to access government grants.

One homeowner whose house was damaged in the bushfires paid a fake tradie $6000, upfront, for work that was never completed.

The tradie provided an Australian Business Number, but the homeowner did not check if it was legitimate.

And in addition to fake tradies, so-called ‘professionals’ are targeting homeowners with claims they can get an increased insurance payout — in return for a large commission.

Consumer Affairs Victoria director Nicole Rich urged Victorians to report any interactions with suspected fake tradies to Consumer Affairs Victoria so it could help more people avoid being cruelly ripped off.

“Homeowners should be aware of these dodgy tradies — if an interaction with a tradie doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not,” she said.

To protect themselves from scams, homeowners should always:

Ask for full names and registration or licence details, and double-check tradespeople are legitimate.
Seek more than one quote and use established tradespeople who provide written quotes.
Ask for contact details of previous clients to check references.
Be on the watch for “red flags” such as today-only deals, refusals to provide a written quote, or payment being demanded upfront.

Scams are a crime, and scammers use clever tactics. Anyone can fall victim to a scam so Consumer Affairs Victoria urges the public to report fake tradies and other scams on 1300 55 81 81 or via consumer.vic.gov.au to help warn others.

Genuine relief and recovery support is available for people impacted by the January 2026 Victorian bushfires at vic.gov.au/clean-support-january-2026-bushfires