Australians issued urgent Centrelink warning – and it’s incredibly easy to fall victim to a sick scam

Cruel scammers are targeting vulnerable Australians by offering a fake $890 Centrelink ‘cost of living bonus’.

Services Australia has warned Australians their personal data will be stolen if they fall victim to any of a variety of fake websites.

Websites pop up online and on social media accounts and are shared by unsuspecting residents who think the offer is real.

Typically, websites offer what they claim is a one-off ‘Centrelink cash assistance payment’ or a charitable ‘bonus payment’.Including living expenses until the end of October.

Services Australia has warned that the real aim of fraudsters is to steal personal information used to access the government services hub website myGov.

‘They offer various amounts of money, including $750 and $1,800. Services Australia said these payments were not available.

‘You may know this as clickbait. Clickbait is often misleading and done to get your attention.’

Cruel scammers target vulnerable Aussies by offering fake $890 Centrelink ‘survival bonus’

Some websites claim the payment is made for other reasons, such as helping retirees, low-income earners, people with disabilities and job seekers.

To request payment, websites offer people a tool to ‘check their eligibility’ by entering their personal information.

This allows fraudsters to hack into their victims’ myGov account and lock them out.

Services Australia has warned there are a number of scams claiming to be Centrelink programmes.

Another involves scammers impersonating Services Australia staff and calling people demanding they pay their debts urgently.

Scammers tell victims they will be arrested and do not pay immediately via wire transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency.

Australians are asked to hang up immediately if contacted by anyone making these allegations.

Services Australia warns scammers are trying to steal personal information to access myGov web portal

A surefire way to spot fake websites is to make sure the URL does not end in ‘.gov.au’.

‘The only real Services Australia and myGov websites are servicesaustralia.gov.au and my.gov.au,’ a Services Australia spokesperson said.

‘We will always inform you if there are changes to our payments or services.

‘We will inform you on our official website and official social media channels.’