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Scams & security · Updated 20 October 2026
Cyber and scam insurance in Australia compared: home insurance benefits vs standalone personal cyber cover
General information only. This isn't legal or financial advice and doesn't take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account. SavySaver has no affiliate, referral or commission links on this page. See our disclosures.
There are two kinds of cover Australians can find for online fraud: small identity theft or card benefits built into some home and contents policies, and standalone (or premium-home) personal cyber insurance sold through brokers. Neither is a guaranteed refund for a scam. For card fraud, your bank comes first; insurance may fill some gaps.
Before you compare: what your bank already covers
Under the ePayments Code, your bank is liable for unauthorised transactions unless it proves you contributed to the loss, for example by voluntarily sharing a passcode such as an SMS one-time code (AFCA). Insurance wordings we read exclude amounts you can recover from your bank, so insurance is a backstop, not a replacement. If you've just been hit, start with our first-hour checklist.
Option 1: benefits inside home and contents insurance
Some home and contents policies include identity theft or "financial transaction card" benefits. These are examples we checked on the insurer's or bank's own pages, not a full market list:
| Policy | Benefit | Published limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANZ Contents Insurance (issued by CGU) | Identity theft: certain Australian legal costs and government fees to replace ID documents, if your identity is stolen and used for financial gain | Up to $2,500 or $5,000 depending on cover level | Covers legal and document costs, not money stolen (ANZ) |
| Suncorp Home and Contents (contents cover) | Identity theft costs to re-establish credit history; separate financial transaction card cover | Identity theft up to $1,000 / $1,500 / $5,000; card cover up to $1,500 / $2,500 / $5,000, by cover level | Excludes costs recoverable from your bank, losses where you didn't follow your bank's terms for keeping access details safe, and (card cover) not telling the card issuer within 24 hours. The PDS at Suncorp's link is dated 19 Oct 2012, so ask for the current version (Suncorp PDS) |
| Chubb Masterpiece home and contents | Personal cyber cover under Family Protection: cyber extortion, cyber financial loss, breach of personal information, cyberbullying, specialist help | Not published | Premium home policy sold through brokers; business activities excluded (Chubb) |
Moneysmart's home insurance guide explains how to compare home and contents policies generally. Look in your own PDS for "identity theft", "credit card" or "financial transaction card".
Option 2: standalone personal cyber insurance
| Product | How it's sold | Published price / limits | Main inclusions and conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergence Personal Cyber Protection (underwritten at Lloyd's) | Brokers only | "Premiums start from $99"; limits $50,000 to $1 million (brochure) | Identity theft, cyber theft, ransomware, cyberbullying and stalking, response costs, 24/7 hotline. Excludes business use and facts known before inception (broker page). "Cyber theft" in the PDS we read must come from a cyber event on your home IT without your knowledge (PDS PCP-001, 2020) |
| Howden Personal Cyber | Broker | Quote only | Personal cyber cover arranged by the broker (Howden) |
| Trident Insurance personal cyber for families | Broker (WA) | Page quotes "from $185" but is dated November 2021 | Standalone personal cyber (Trident) |
We couldn't confirm a mass-market insurer selling a standalone personal cyber add-on as of October 2026.
The key question: would it pay for a wallet scam?
In the common wallet scam, nobody hacks your phone. You're tricked into entering card details and a code, and the card is added to a criminal's phone (Krebs on Security). Cover tied to a "cyber event" on your own devices, or excluding losses where you didn't keep access details safe, may not respond. Ask the insurer or broker directly, in writing: "If I'm tricked into entering my card details and a one-time code on a fake website, is the loss covered, and is there a sub-limit?" Our cyber insurance explainer has more questions to ask.
Comparing the two at a glance
- Home policy benefits: no extra policy, small fixed limits, mainly costs (legal, ID replacement, credit repair) rather than stolen money, strict conditions.
- Standalone personal cyber: separate premium, higher limits, response services, but definitions of "cyber event" and exclusions matter a lot.
- Free alternatives that aren't insurance: IDCARE support, bank alerts and app approvals (see prevention guide).
General advice warning: This page is general information only and is not financial advice or a recommendation to buy any product. It doesn't consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. Cover, limits and exclusions come from providers' published material, may have changed, and aren't a promise of what any policy will pay. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before deciding, and consider speaking to a licensed adviser or broker. SavySaver receives no payment from any insurer or broker named here.
Related guides
- Someone added your card to their phone wallet: what to do (how the scam works and your refund rights)
- Card in a scammer's wallet: your first hour
- How to stop scammers adding your card to a digital wallet
- Does cyber insurance cover scams?
Sources (checked 20 Oct 2026)
- ANZ: contents insurance · Suncorp Home and Contents PDS (PDF) · Chubb Australia: personal cyber · Moneysmart: home insurance
- Emergence Personal Cyber brochure (PDF) · Emergence Personal Cyber Protection PDS PCP-001 (PDF) · IBA Corp: Emergence personal cyber · Howden Australia: personal cyber · Trident Insurance: personal cyber for families
- AFCA: unauthorised transactions fact sheet · Krebs on Security: Lighthouse phishing kit · IDCARE
Questions
Does home and contents insurance cover scams?
Usually not the scam loss itself. Some contents policies include limited identity theft or lost-card benefits, but the wordings we read exclude amounts recoverable from your bank and losses where card or access details weren't kept safe. Check your PDS.
Can I buy personal cyber insurance directly?
The standalone personal cyber policy we found (Emergence) says it can only be bought through a broker. Chubb's personal cyber cover is part of its Masterpiece home and contents policy.
Which is better, an add-on or standalone cover?
We don't rank or recommend policies. They cover different things: home policy benefits tend to be small fixed amounts for identity theft or card misuse, while standalone personal cyber policies have higher limits and response services but their own exclusions. Read the PDS and TMD and consider a licensed broker.
Should I claim insurance before my bank?
For card fraud, your bank and the ePayments Code come first. The policy wordings we read exclude costs you can recover from your bank.