New myGov text message scam targeting Australians across the country and how to spot a fake message

Australians have been warned about a series of myGov text message scams that falsely inform the recipient that changes have been made to their account.

Scammers will pose as government officials and tell recipients to click on fraudulent links so they can claim a refund or rebate.

Services Australia says that anyone who has received a message claiming their account has changed in any way should consider it a scam.

“You may have recently received a text message letting you know that you have made a change to your myGov account,” Services Australia said in a statement.

An example of a scam message will ‘inform’ the recipient that their security information has been ‘successfully changed’ and provide a suspicious link to click if they did not make this change.

‘The fraudulent text message asks you to click on a link if you did not perform the myGov activity.

‘The text message may ask you to click a link or access a web form.

“If you do, you may be redirected to a fake myGov site designed to steal your personal information and bank details.”

‘It can tell you that your information is being transferred securely. This is a trick to gain your trust and get you to click on the link.’

Services Australia recommends that users only log in to their myGov account by searching for my.gov.au in a web browser and never click on links attached to an email or text message.

An example of a scam text would be: “Your profile security information was successfully changed if you did not make this change Go to (link).”

Another tells the user that their ‘profile has been placed on hold pending review’ and then adds a link at the bottom to ‘resolve’ it.

Some scams have targeted Centrelink recipients, informing them that their welfare payment has been suspended or that their Centrelink details have been unlinked from their myGov account.

Another scam claimed that the user’s profile was “placed on hold pending review” with a link at the end to “resolve it.”

Another text message claimed that the recipient was eligible for a refund and told them to click a hyperlink to confirm their bank details.

Others will encourage recipients to click on fraudulent links so they can claim a refund or rebate via email.

An example of this type of scam is: ‘MyGov: We tried to deposit your refund but we had a problem (sic) with your bank information. Please (sic) confirm your details.’

In another version of this scam, the scammer tells the recipient that they are eligible for $198.92 and to click on the hyperlink.

After the last annual calculation, we noticed that you are eligible to receive an amount of $198.82 AUD,” the email said.

‘To submit the application electronically please complete the form. Once completed, you will be asked to confirm that the information in the document is correct.’

ScamWatch has shared several tips and tricks to help Australians recognize a fraudulent text or email message.

Poor grammar or punctuation are among the top red flags found in scam messages.

Hyperlinks are also never included in any email or text message sent by myGov.

Emails sent by the government agency will also not include the logo and will simply inform the recipient that they have received a new message in their inbox.

It comes as recent data revealed that the number of fraudulent messages being sent to Australians every day increased by a staggering 160 per cent in January compared to December.

Anyone who believes they have already been the victim of a myGov scam should call Services Australia Identity Theft and Scam Help Desk immediately.

Services Australia warns anyone who has received a message claiming their account has been changed in any way to consider it a scam (stock image)