“This is a fraudulent call,” Service Australia said. Did you receive this suspicious call? What other scams have you come across? Let us know in the comments below. However, we will always write to you by post or in your myGov inbox to inform you of your debts. If you`re not sure if a call about a debt is legitimate, call us via your regular payline to check. “Don`t be pressured by a threatening caller and take the time to think about who you might be dealing with,” Rickard said. Fraudsters are increasingly taking advantage of the financial hardship and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to outsmart unsuspecting Australians,” said Delia Rickard, ACCC Vice-Chair. “Government agencies will never threaten you with immediate arrest or demand payment using unusual methods such as gift cards, iTunes guarantees, or bank transfers.” “If you`re concerned you`ve given personal information to a scammer, we can help. You should immediately call the Fraud and Identity Theft Helpline or send an email if you have any concerns about a call received. Service Australia said the appellants claimed to be part of its legal team and had lobbied Australians to pay the funds immediately. We were harassed to the point of anger last month when I tried to inquire about the two letters I received, the two reviews I asked for, and Centrelink`s “non-response” in their North Hobart office. The woman behind the counter was nice, but the woman we spoke to had no idea. We left as confused as when we arrived. “We see two main types of scams masquerading as government departments; fake government threats and phishing scams.
“If you have been overpaid and are in debt, we will call or write to you from time to time to let you know,” Services Australia confirmed. The scammer will claim that something illegal, such as tax fraud or money laundering, was committed on behalf of the victim, and he should dial 1 to speak to an operator. So if you receive a call from Centrelink that you`re not entirely sure about, hang up, don`t turn on the caller and contact Centrelink immediately. Services Australia warns that many Centrelink recipients receive fraudulent phone calls claiming to be from the legal department. ACCC also recommends that you report fraud to the ministry that impersonated the fraud. In a fake government threat scam, victims are given a bot pretending to be from a government department such as the ATO or the Ministry of Interior. Services Australia says that asking about these alternative payment methods is a good indicator that the call is not legitimate. Australians are urged to watch out for government fraud with identity theft, with over $1.26 million lost on over 7100 reports to Scamwatch this year, and in reality, the losses are likely to be much larger.
Centrelink beneficiaries were alerted to a fraudulent phone call claiming they had to pay a debt or face jail time. I received letters from Centrelink saying that we had been overpaid “R$62.05 in rent assistance”. I responded immediately by requesting a review as there were no details about when we were overpaid, why we were overpaid or where that overpayment was a reference. The problem is that Centrelink employees ring with “unknown numbers” – leave NO messages, so we`re going around in circles again! So I don`t answer because I think it`s a fraudulent call! Centrelink recipients were reminded that Services Australia will never ask them to transfer money over the phone and will never make unexpected phone calls threatening arrest. There has been an increase in scams reported during tax season, such as text messages claiming to be from myGov or agencies claiming to help victims get early access to their pension insurance. If you receive such a call, it is best to hang up immediately. Do not call back the reminder and if they manage to talk to you, do not reveal any personal information. “If you`re not sure, you should call us on your normal payline to check if it was us.” “If you get a call like this, you can take steps to protect yourself and report the scam,” Service Australia said. Centrelink recipients who receive the fraudulent call have been asked to hang up immediately, not to answer the call, not to transfer money and not to disclose any personal information.