Some scammers are pretending to be government agencies

Beware of COVID-19 scams

Scamwatch* has received over 2,700 scam reports mentioning the COVID-19 (coronavirus) with over $1,114,000 in reported losses since the outbreak of COVID-19. Common scams include phishing for personal information, online shopping, and superannuation scams. Scammers may pretend to have a connection with you, so it’s important to stop and check, even when you are approached by what you think is a trusted organisation.

Some scammers are pretending to be government agencies providing information on COVID-19 through text messages and emails ‘phishing’ for your information. These contain malicious links and attachments designed to steal your personal and financial information. The emails or text messages they send appear to come from ‘GOV’ and ‘myGov’, with a malicious link to more information on COVID-19.

Tips to protect yourself from these types of scams:

• Don’t click on hyperlinks in text/social media messages or emails, even if it appears to come from a trusted source.
• Go directly to the website through your browser. For example, to reach the MyGov website type ‘my.gov.au’ into your browser yourself.
• Never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for personal or financial details, even if they claim to be from a reputable organisation or government authority — just press delete or hang up.

 

*© Commonwealth of Australia / * source: www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/current-covid-19-coronavirus-scams