Scamwatch
Helping Australians identify
relationship scams
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Campaign strategy
Campaign concept
Script writing
Production
Creative direction
Videography
Campaign strategy
Campaign concept
Script writing
Creative direction
Videography
Production
Romance scams are among the most damaging in Australia – Australians reported losses of over $156 million in 2024 alone, second only to investment scams. But this is a problem where a warning is rarely enough: victims are engaged for an average of 171 days, and the emotional pull of the relationship means they need to lead themselves out. The ACCC’s Scamwatch engaged Studio Binocular to create a campaign across YouTube, Meta and broadcast on-demand to raise awareness around relationship scams.
Grounded in the National Anti-Scam Centre’s Romance Scam Fusion Cell research, our creative validates the doubts people already feel — making it safe to pause, question and check. And because relationship scams don’t work the same way on everyone, we developed two distinct creative territories under one campaign.
Online dating + Crypto = Serious scam territory
For men in their 30s, a ‘romance-baiting’ connection turns quickly into a fake crypto investment. These are fast-moving scams that follow a similar pattern each time – so we built that sequence into both the scripts and the filming, with quick cuts and a snappy, repeatable rhythm to help audiences identify the pattern themselves.
To cut through a busy, fast-scrolling media landscape, we leaned into humour and oversized, handheld 3D shapes – grabbing attention where a straight government-style warning would risk being skipped.
Creative that feels native to the platform
This audience adapts its viewing behaviour across video on demand, YouTube and Meta, so we developed a distinct approach for each, so the creative always felt native to the platform.
While the video above has higher production values, suited to a more related video on demand setting, our Meta executions were designed to feel less produced, off-the cuff and more suited to sound-off viewing in busy environments.
I do sometimes wonder…
Few people are harder to reach than someone in the grip of a long-term relationship scam. Groomed patiently over months or years, they’re often older Australians, deeply invested and increasingly isolated – and the fear of judgement only pushes them further from help. That’s why sensitivity shaped every decision here.
Rather than warn or lecture, we worked hard to create something which felt more like speaking to a friend. The creative gently surfaces the red flags and taps into the quiet doubts many already hold at the back of their minds — supporting them to ask questions about the situation for themselves.
