Aussies warned over myGov cost of living ‘help’ payment scam messages

A cruel scam is targeting unsuspecting Australians struggling with rising cost of living expenses by promising a one-off myGov payment to “help you cope” with the crisis.

The scam text, shared to Reddit, claims to be from the government service. But it instead works by duping the recipient into sharing their personal details.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: How to spot a scam and what to do if you’re caught out by a scam text or email.

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The scam comes as calls continue to mount for the federal government to raise the rate of welfare payments, which currently sit at $49.50 per day for singles on JobSeeker and $40.20 per day for Youth Allowance.

“myGov: We’re providing $800 in a single payment to help you cope with the cost of living crisis,” the scam text message states, alongside a link to a faulty URL posing as a government website.

The message recipient warned others to “be careful of this one”, sharing concerns how the scam could easily dupe vulnerable Australians in need of assistance during the cost of living crisis.

“I’m sure lots of people will fall for this,” they said.

“Lucky their spoofed website doesn’t even work.”

Australians are being targeted by a cost of living myGov scam text. Credit: Reddit

Do not open

MyGov has issued several recent alerts warning about different scams spoofing the organisation.

Its advice for suspicious messages is to never reply, open any links or download any attachments.

“myGov will never send you an email, SMS message, or direct message or private chat on social media, asking you to click on a link to sign in to myGov, enter your bank details, tell us your personal details, including your Customer Reference Number (CRN) or Tax File Number (TFN),” it says.

Customers who have given their myGov details and other personal information to scammers should contact the Services Australia Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk.

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