Cruel myGov scam targeting unsuspecting Aussies
A malicious scam is targeting unsuspecting Aussies struggling with the cost of living expenses promising them a one-off myGov payment to “help you cope” with the crisis.
The scam text, shared to Reddit, claims to be from the government service, rather it works by tricking the recipient into sharing their personal details.
The scam comes as calls continue to increase for the federal government to raise the rate of welfare payments, which currently see $49.50 per day for singles on JobSeeker and $40.20 per day for Youth Allowance.
“myGov: We’re providing $800 in a single payment to help you cope with the cost of living crisis,” the scam text readers, with a link to a fault URL posing as the government service.
The recipients of the message warned others to “be careful of this one”, expressing concerns over how easily the scam could deceive vulnerable Aussies struggling to stay afloat during the cost of living crisis.
“I’m sure lots of people will fall for this,” one said.
“Lucky their spoofed website doesn’t even work.”
MyGov has issued several alerts warning people about various scams spoofing the service.
Its advice for suspicious messages is to never reply, open any links or download any attachments.
“myGov will never send you an email, SMS message, or direct message or private chat on social media, asking you to click on a link to sign in to myGov, enter your bank details, tell us your personal details, including your Customer Reference Number (CRN) or Tax File Number (TFN),” it said.
Any customers who have shared their myGov details and other personal information to scammers should contact the Services Australia Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk.
Image credit: Reddit