Services Australia warned people after fake Centrelink 'bonus payments' scams targeted people through MyGov.
Services Australia has moved to issue a statement that claims making the rounds about supposed Centrelink "bonus payments" are scams. Scam websites and social media posts are circulating promising "one-off payments, Centrelink cash relief payments," or "bonus payments" between $750 and $1,800. Such false claims exploit popular search terms such as the "$890 bonus payment Centrelink" that recently experienced an increase in Google searches toward non-existent payment articles.
Services Australia further cleared that the stated payments are not in plan, and actual payment details are only accessible through their sites using.gov.au as the suffix. The organization warns consumers against other addresses that direct customers to scam pages. In normal scenarios, these fake sites have what is referred to as an "eligibility checker," and they have a calculator that a user should fill in with information. Scammers use all these information and bar users from their MyGov accounts or submit false claims.
The Australian government's Scamwatch initiative has recorded phishing scams as one of the leading forms of fraud, with Australians losing more than $134 million in scams this year alone. It is ranked third in financial loss, after investment and romance scams. Services Australia warns users to secure their MyGov accounts by setting up a verbal password and being vigilant on suspicious online links.
