These unofficial websites and social media accounts are sharing information about Centrelink payments that isn’t real.
This is called clickbait. Clickbait is usually misleading and made to get your attention.
Clickbait websites and social media accounts might say:
- there are new document requirements for Centrelink pensioners
- there are new eligibility and verification processes for Age Pensioners
- there’s a new ‘bonus’, ‘cash relief’ or ‘one off payment’ for our customers.
They might also threaten you with penalties if you don’t meet the new requirements. They’ll tell you they’ll cancel your payments or that you’ll get a fine or debt. This isn’t true.
When talking about one off and bonus payments, they might say they’ll help:
- with the cost of living
- people getting Age Pension, Carer Payment or Carer Allowance
- people who have a concession card.
They offer varying amounts of money, including $750, $1,800 and $4,100. These payments don’t exist. You could see advertisements that look like this:
People are sharing these websites on social media, thinking the information is real. If the website URL doesn’t end in .gov.au then it isn’t an official government website. It could be a scam.
The only genuine Services Australia and myGov websites are servicesaustralia.gov.au and my.gov.au.
We’ll always let you know when there are changes to any of our payments or services. We’ll let you know on our official website and official social media channels.
If you’re not sure if Centrelink information you’ve seen online is real, search our genuine website. Type servicesaustralia.gov.au into your trusted web browser. You can also check by calling us or asking us on social media.
Read more about Centrelink scams.