Be wary of hoax calls about Centrelink and Medicare
National media release
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Medicare Australia and Centrelink are warning Australians to watch out for hoaxes which involve dodgy callers pretending to be from the agencies.
"Medicare Australia has recently received reports from women of suspicious phone calls from a man claiming to work for Medicare Australia," Human Services Portfolio General Manager Hank Jongen said today.
"He’s phoned several women that we’re aware of, offering cash and holiday prizes as rewards for participating in a survey. He’s then proceeded to ask these women intimate and inappropriate questions.
"I encourage anyone who receives a phone call along these lines to terminate the call immediately."
Mr Jongen said there have been reports of scammers who have posed as Centrelink staff members in an attempt to gain personal details from customers.
"These personal details can then be used to commit identity fraud and other such criminal activity," Mr Jongen said.
"If you’re unsure of whether it really is Medicare or Centrelink calling you, simply hang up and call us on your regular contact number to verify.
"If you suspect a possible identity fraud phone scam has occurred, I encourage you to report any details like the phone number, time, date, gender and accent to the Australian Government’s designated fraud tip-off line on 13 15 24."
People using Medicare Australia and Centrelink online services are also reminded to protect their information by keeping their login details private and regularly changing passwords.
For more information, telephone the relevant Centrelink Media Contact.