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Aussies warned over new myGov scam

The scam text claims the recipient needs to act quickly before the support expires.

Tamika Seeto
·Finance Reporter
·2-min read
myGov scam
Aussies have been told to watch out for a new text message scam doing the rounds. (Source: Getty/X)

A new scam is trying to trick Aussies into handing over their banking details by claiming they are entitled to a $750 payment.

The scam text claims to be sent by government agency myGov and tells the recipient they are eligible to apply for an “economic support payment”.

It then tells the recipient they need to provide their personal banking details before the support expires, and includes a link for them to click.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch shared a copy of the text message and warned Aussies not to fall for the scam.

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“myGov will never ask you to click a link to sign in to your account or to enter your bank details or ID docs. Don't click links. Use the secure myGov app to check your account,” Scamwatch said.

It’s not the only fake myGov scam that has been doing the rounds recently. During the federal budget, scammers were sending text messages to Aussies claiming they could receive a one-time payment to “help with their living expenses”.

Uptick in myGov scams

Other common scams claim the recipient’s account information is incorrect and that they need to update their information by clicking a link.

Services Australia said it was seeing an increase in myGov scams and encouraged Aussies to be wary of any unexpected contact.

Aussies should only sign into their myGov account by searching my.gov.au, or by using the official myGov app.

$3.1 billion lost to scams

Aussies lost a record $3.1 billion to scammers last year, an 80 per cent increase on the previous year.

Investment scams were the highest-loss category ($1.5 billion), followed by remote-access scams ($229 million) and payment-redirection scams ($224 million).

The top contact method for scammers was text message, making up a third of reports, followed by phone and email.

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