Centrelink has issued an urgent warning to Aussies about ‘bonus payment’ scams.
Services Australia said on Monday there were “unofficial websites” sharing misleading information about a fake $1,800 payment for Age Pensioners.
‘They may encourage you to read about a new ‘one-off’ or ‘bonus’ payment by clicking on a link. Trust only and for official information about our payments,” it says.
Services Australia has issued an urgent warning to Australia to only go to their official website after people shared misinformation from unofficial sites
On the official Services Australia website was an example of the scam, which stated: ‘An additional $1,800 Australia pension is coming. Who is eligible, fact check about payment dates.’
According to the ministry, unsuspecting Australians have been sharing the links to the fake websites on social media, thinking they are official.
‘If the website URL does not end in .gov.au, it is not an official government website. It could be a scam,” it said.
‘We will always let you know if there are any changes to any of our payments or services.
“We’ll let you know on our official website and official social media channels.”
Services Australia showcased the scam on their website and warned Aussies to be careful
There are several Services Australia scams circulating, including those involving myGov and Medicare.
Other Centrelink scams include fraudsters posing as employees of the government agency and calling people to tell them they must pay a debt immediately or face arrest.
This is reported by the National Anti-Scam Center ScamwatchSo far in 2024, around $92 million has been lost to fraud by Aussies.
In 2023, more than 601,000 scams were reported by Australians, resulting in a loss of $2.74 billion – less than the $3.1 billion lost in 2022.
The top five most lucrative ways Australians were scammed in 2023 were through investments, remote access, romance, phishing and payment forwarding.