Scams constantly change, as scammers take advantage of recent technology, products and services, or trending news topics to make their scam seem real.

How scammers get your information

Scammers often use phishing scams to try to trick you into giving away your personal information by pretending to be us or other organisations. Scammers can contact lots of people at the same time by sending text messages, emails or social media messages that have a link or attachment. You may also know this as spam.

Don’t open any links or attachments in messages pretending to be us. If you open a link or attachment, it might take you to a fake website designed to steal your personal information.

Watch our video to find out how phishing scams work.

Scammers could also have your personal information if you have been compromised by a third party data breach. Read more about how you can protect your personal information after a data breach.

What scammers want

Scammers want your personal information, including your:

• name
• address
• date of birth
• phone number and email address
• usernames and passwords
• identity documents, like your passport or license
• banking details, including your bank or credit card information.

They also want personal information that you hold with us, including your:

• myGov sign in details
• Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN)
• Medicare card number.

What scammers do with your information

If a scammer has information about the records you hold with us, such as your myGov sign in details, they can:

• update your records to steal your payments or refunds
• fraudulently apply for payments using your name
• contact us and pretend to be you to make change to your records or payments
• link other member services, such as the ATO, to commit fraud
• collect more information about you from your records
• use your identity to commit fraud or other crimes.

You can read general information about scams on the Scamwatch website.