Source: Australian numbering register (ACMA), data as of 16/10/2026. The register names the holder of a range, never people; individual numbers may have been ported to another network, and caller ID can be spoofed. Details on our methodology page.
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What other people experienced
Verified reports: personal opinions of the people reporting, not statements of fact.
Tess from the Australian Research Centre called me too. Same robovoice, same scam. Fast talking AI voice and deeply concerned about the cost of living!
Sad news: There is no Australian Research Centre. The number (03) 7075 1970 is actually disconnected. There is no $1000 prize. By the time you have answered all the questions and they now have a valuable profile they can onsell to other scammers, and empty your bank account, all within milliseconds of getting the details. They have your phone number, your account details, your voice print, and it is all automated behind the scenes.
I hung up as the first question panned out - are you over or under 55.
I am on the Do Not Call register so clearly this is a criminal operation outside Australian law.
This is illegal phishing.
No clear pattern in reports on this number yet. If a call worried you:
Call back on a number you trust
If a caller says they're your bank, the ATO, Services Australia, a courier or your telco, hang up and ring the organisation on the number from its website or your statement, never the number that called you. Caller ID can be faked.
Report the call to Scamwatch
The National Anti-Scam Centre uses Scamwatch reports to warn others and to get scam numbers blocked. Note the number, the time and what the caller claimed to be. If anyone is in danger, call 000.
Registering landlines and mobiles is free and stops most telemarketing calls within 30 days. Charities, political parties, surveys and scammers aren't covered.
Call your bank straight away on the number on your card and ask it to stop the payment. Then report it through ReportCyber, which passes cybercrime reports to Victoria Police. If your identity documents or passwords were shared, IDCARE's free support service can help you lock things down.
Don't call back an unknown number after a single ring (one-ring wangiri calls), and treat 190x premium numberswith care. Any number can be blocked from your phone's call history.