How scams work

A scam is a trick to steal your money or personal information. Scams target everyone and anyone can become a victim.

How scammers get your information

Scammers often use phishing scams to try to trick you into giving away your personal information. Sometimes they pretend to be myGov, Centrelink, Medicare or other government departments such as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). They may also pretend to be from your bank.

Scammers can contact lots of people at the same time. You may know this as spam.

Scammers use different methods to trick you, including through:

  • phone calls
  • emails
  • text messages
  • social media
  • fake websites or ads.

Don’t open any links or attachments in messages or emails pretending to be us. If you open a link or attachment, it might take you to a fake website designed to steal your personal information. Find out more about how to protect against scams and identity theft.

Watch our video to find out how phishing scams work. You can also watch this video in other languages.

There are things you can do if you’re the victim of a scam or identity theft, including if your details are exposed in a third party data breach. Find out more about how you can protect your personal information after a data breach.

What scammers want

Scammers want your personal information, including your:

  • name
  • address
  • date of birth
  • phone number and email address
  • usernames and passwords
  • identity documents, like your passport or license
  • banking details, including your bank or credit card information.

They also want personal information that you hold with us, including your:

  • myGov sign in details
  • Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN)
  • Medicare card number.

What scammers do with your information

If a scammer has information about the records you hold with us, such as your myGov sign in details, they can:

  • update your records to steal your payments or refunds
  • fraudulently apply for payments using your name
  • contact us and pretend to be you to make change to your records or payments
  • link other member services, such as the ATO, to commit fraud
  • collect more information about you from your records
  • use your identity to commit fraud or other crimes.

Find out how to report a Services Australia or myGov scam.

If you spot a scam that’s not related to myGov or Services Australia, you can report it to ScamWatch.

Page last updated: 20 August 2025.
QC 60286