The National Anti-Scam Centre is warning Australians that criminals are impersonating charities and offering fake financial assistance schemes to target people experiencing financial hardship.
No Interest Loan Schemes are offered by trusted charities such as Good Shepherd and the Salvation Army and are intended to support low-income earners and people in hardship who are experiencing difficulty with payments or unexpected expenses.
The National Anti-Scam Centre is warning the public that criminals deceive people by purporting to offer services such as No Interest Loan Schemes. They also fake emergency relief services, rental assistance, and programs such as the Australian Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
“As the cost of living has risen, struggling Australians are being targeted in despicable ways by criminals. We are warning people who need financial assistance and those that provide it to be aware of these scams,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
Scamwatch has received some reports identifying these scams. But people are often reluctant to report and disclose that they are experiencing financial hardship. We consider more people have been targeted and cheated by financial assistance scammers.
These scams impersonate Government agencies and programs as well as charities which provide support to people in need, such as the Wesley Mission.
“Impersonating trusted organisations is a common scam tactic. Australians should independently check an organisation offering financial assistance is legitimate, and never provide personal identifying information through social media,” Ms Lowe said.
The aim of these scams is to steal money and often personal information which is valuable to criminals to help them perpetrate other crimes. With information such as myGov usernames and passwords, bank account details, or driver licences or passports they can assume false identities and commit other crimes with less opportunity for detection. These scams place additional strain and hardship on the victims in having to recover their stolen identity and respond to allegations of fraud committed in their name. The stolen details might help criminals commit fraud against the Commonwealth or other businesses.
“In one alarming instance, scammers represented themselves as reputable charity online advertising a no interest loan to a couple. Believing the offer was genuine, the victims provided sensitive information, including their driver’s license, Medicare card, Pension Card, and myGov details. The scammers then diverted $1,000 from the couple’s Centrelink payments,” Ms Lowe said.
“Genuine support to those who are struggling is available, but we know criminals seek opportunities to take advantage of people in need. Don’t rely on social media adverts or assume that the person contacting you is who they say they are. If you think you’ve been targeted by scammers, act quickly to protect yourself.”
If you have provided personal information call IDCARE on 1800 595 160.
If you did give your myGov or Centrelink details to someone, call Services Australia’s Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk on 1800 941 126 for advice and support.
There’s more information about Services Australia and myGov scams at servicesaustralia.gov.au/scams
Case Study – Financial Assistance scam reported to Scamwatch
Criminals set up a Facebook page called "Emergency Rental Assistance Program” which impersonated a government organisation. A person who wanted government support saw the page, and believing it was a genuine service, provided their identity information and logged into their myGov account.
The criminals used the information and gained access to the victim's myGov account, locked them out of their Australian Taxation Office (ATO) account, and changed their Centrelink bank details.
As a result, a person already in hardship had their disability support pension stolen, and all their personal information, including identity information, superannuation, Medicare information, bank details, and details of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding.
This scam has left the person without any money and further behind on rent. The emotional toll was severe.
With their consent, Scamwatch referred this victim to IDCARE; Australia and New Zealand's national identity & cyber support service.
Resources for people experiencing financial hardship
The official number for the National debt helpline is 1800 007 007.
Call the Good Shepherd No Interest Loans (NILs) team on 13 64 57 or find a community service NILs provider nearby at goodshep.org.au/nils-provider-finder/.
What consumers should do to avoid scams
Consumers are urged to ‘Stop, check, protect’.
- Stop - Don’t give money or personal information to anyone if unsure. Say no, hang up, delete.
- Check - Scammers pretend to be from organisations you know and trust – like your bank, charities, the police or government. If you’re not sure, call the official phone number of the organisation to check.
- Protect - Act quickly if something feels wrong. If you have had money or personal information stolen contact your bank and Services Australia immediately. Help others by reporting scams to scamwatch.gov.au.
Go to Scamwatch for scam alerts and information to help you spot and avoid scams.