Australians are being warned to beware of a scam claiming they are entitled to a “bonus” cash payment from Centrelink. Fraudsters are trying to steal people’s personal details and lure them with a fake living allowance.

Services Australia said Australians should be wary of “misleading information” being shared on unofficial websites and social media accounts. The government agency said scammers are trying to trick people into clicking on their website and reading about a new “one-off payment”, “cash relief” or “bonus payment”.

“They are targeting our customers by falsely claiming there will be a special payment to ease cost of living pressures. There is no bonus payment,” Services Australia said.

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“If you visit any of these websites or click on their links on social media, you run the risk of being scammed. Do not trust unofficial websites or social media accounts for advice about Centrelink payments.”

Services Australia has previously issued a warning about a scam targeting older Australians by falsely claiming there is an “extra” payment for pensioners. The scams can offer varying amounts, including $750 to $1,800.

Services Australia recommends that recipients only visit the official Services Australia website, which ends in .gov.au, for information about payments and services. You can also call them to verify that the information is legitimate.

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Other Centrelink scams to watch out for

There are currently numerous scams related to Services Australia in circulation, including those purporting to be from Centrelink, myGov and Medicare.

In other Centrelink scams, fraudsters pose as representatives of Services Australia and call people to claim they need to pay a debt urgently. They claim you will be arrested if you don’t pay immediately by bank transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency. Australians have been told to hang up.

The story continues

According to data from Scamwatch, Australians have lost more than $134 million to scams this year, with the biggest losses coming from investment scams, followed by romance scams and phishing scams.

This follows a recent report which revealed that fraudsters were gaining access to Australians’ Centrelink, Australian Taxation Office and Medicare accounts by creating fake myGov accounts.

This is done through a process called “unauthorized linking,” which involves linking a genuine myGov account to a fake myGov account created by a fraudster without their knowledge.

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