Beware of new scam involving fake Centrelink staff

Residents are warned of a new scam where people posing as Centrelink staff trick their victims into handing over personal and financial information as well as money.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently issued a warning advising that around 300 people have so far been contacted by someone imitating an officer from the Department of Human Services (DHS) or Centrelink over the past six months.

The victims, mostly pensioners, are told that the government owes them money and they can only receive it if they hand over their bank account details and a fee, along with their personal details to ‘verify their identity’. Some have been told that their Centrelink payments will be cut off if the information is not provided.

Pensioners are not only tricked into potentially handing over their money, but by giving their personal information they can also become a victim to identity theft.

At least four people are known to have lost a total of $3000 as a result of the scam.

ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard has advised that Department of Human Services and Centrelink staff would never ask anyone to divulge this type of information over the phone.

"If you receive a phone call out of the blue from someone claiming to be from a government department and they claim that you are entitled to money, hang up," she said.

“If you have any doubts about the identity of any caller who claims to represent a business, organisation or government department, contact the body directly. Don’t rely on numbers, email addresses or websites provided by the caller — find them through an independent source such as a phone book or online search.”

"Never give your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source. If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately."

This is just one of numerous scams around at the moment. A similar scam involves people pretending to be from the Australian Tax Office phoning and telling their victims that they have outstanding taxes owing and if they do not pay it immediately they will be subject to a large fine and possible imprisonment. 

Queensland Police have advised that in the last month they have noticed a dramatic increase in not only the number of scams circulating, but also their sophisticated nature.

If you have received one of these calls, please report it to the ACCC on 1300 795 995 or visit the ACCC’s Scamwatch website.

(Based on articles in The Daily Telegraph and Your Life Choices and information provided by QPS)