THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has warned people to be wary of scam artists claiming to represent Centrelink following a drastic increase in fraudulent activity.
The ACCC's Scamwatch has received over 2,200 reports of scams where people have received fraudulent calls from people claiming to be from Centrelink or the Department of Human Services since January, resulting in more than $27,000 in losses.
The losses mark a staggering increase from the 2015 period in which $3,500 of losses were reported and 560 reports were made.
ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said anyone who received a call from someone claiming to be from one of the two government bodies and saying they were eligible for a pension increase should hang up immediately.
"The scammer will claim that you've been sent a letter about an increase in your benefits and not responded to it," she said.
"They will claim that your file has been sent to Canberra and that you can either go to Canberra to fill out the required form or you can pay a fee and have the forms sent to you."
"The scammer's main objective is to get your money and they usually ask for payment via wire money transfer or iTunes cards."
Ms Rickard said the caller might also threaten to withhold future payments until the situation was resolved.
"The Department of Human Services will never ask you to deposit money in order to receive a payment."
Ms Rickard said people who had any doubts about the identity of a caller should look up the details of the relevant body independently and contact it.
Protect Yourself
- If you receive a phone call out of the blue from someone claiming to be from Centrelink and offering an increase in benefits, hang up.
- If you have any doubts about the identity of any caller who claims to represent a government department, contact the department directly using independently sourced details.
- Never give your personal or financial details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source.
- Any requests to send money via a gift card should be treated as highly suspicious as they are not considered to be legitimate sources of payment.
- Never send any money via wire transfer or any other means to anyone you do not know or trust.
To report a scam visit humanservices.gov.au/customer/scams.
