Help if a scam or identity theft has affected you

Our staff can help if a Services Australia or myGov scam has affected you, including identity theft.

There’s also help available if you’re affected by any other type of scam, identity misuse or cyber security threats.

If you’ve been scammed

We can help if you’ve been affected by a scam impersonating myGov or Services Australia, including Centrelink, Medicare or Child Support. You can also report scams pretending to be us to help protect others.

Call our Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk if you’ve done any of the following:

• opened a link in a suspicious text message, email or social media message
• given someone your myGov sign in details or other personal information
• visited a website that pretended to be us or downloaded a fake app.

Our staff can also support you if:

• you’ve had your identity documents or myGov, Centrelink or Medicare information exposed in a third-party data breach
• you’re a victim of identity theft.

The helpdesk can:

• offer support and advice about how to protect yourself and your personal information
• check your customer records for any suspicious activity
• make corrections to your records if needed
• add extra security measures to prevent unauthorised access.

We can have an interpreter on the line if you need help in your language.

You can also call our Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk using the National Relay Service (NRS). Find out more about the NRS on Access Hub on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts website.

If your identity has been stolen

Identity crime is when someone gets access to your personal information to steal money or gain other benefits. Stolen personal information can be physical or digital and often includes:

• Identity documents
• Medicare cards
• utility bills
• insurance renewals
• medical records.

You may experience identity theft in any of the following situations:

• your digital personal information is stolen after someone accesses your online services, like an email, banking account or Centrelink online account
• your digital personal information is exposed or illegally sold due to a third party data breach
• your physical identity documents or personal information is stolen from your wallet, letterbox or rubbish.

Read more about protecting your personal information after a data breach. Our Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk staff can support you if:

• you’re a victim of identity theft
• you’re worried you could be at risk of identity theft
• you’ve had your identity documents or myGov, Centrelink or Medicare information exposed in a third-party data breach.

How we can help

The helpdesk can:

• offer support and advice about how to protect yourself and your personal information
• check your customer records for any suspicious activity
• make corrections to your records if needed
• add extra security measures to prevent unauthorised access.

We can have an interpreter on the line if you need help in your language.

You can also call our Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk using the National Relay Service (NRS). Find out more about the NRS on Access Hub on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts website.

If you need more help

There are organisations that provide support services and other useful information related to scams and identity theft. The following links will take you away from our website.

Scamwatch

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has set up the National Anti-Scam Centre to coordinate government, law enforcement and the private sector to combat scams. They run Scamwatch who provide information on how to recognise, avoid and report all scams.

Find out how to report a scam on the Scamwatch website.

IDCARE

IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber support service. They help people who’ve had their identity information misused or compromised.

If your identity information has been misused or exposed, find out how to get help on the IDCARE website.

Australian Taxation Office

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) have information to help you identify and report tax scams on their scams, cyber safety and identity protection page.

Find out how to verify or report a scam on the ATO website.

Australian Cyber Security Centre

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has information on protecting yourself from cyber security threats.

Find out how to report a cybercrime, incident or vulnerability on the ACSC website.