The Department of Home Affairs acknowledges multiple reports of scams involving impersonations of the Department that have been reported to ACCC’s (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission) Scamwatch, and recommends to stay alert and report the scams.
ACCC Deputy Chair, Delia Rickard said, “Scammers are increasingly taking advantage of the financial difficulties and uncertainty generated from the COVID-19 pandemic to trick unsuspecting Australians…We are seeing two main types of scams impersonating government departments; fake government threats and phishing scams.”
Usually, the victims receive a fake robocall pretending to be from a government department, such as the Department of Home Affairs, and the scammers try to scare and threaten people into handing over money. In the current year so far, 2,016 scams involving Department of Home Affairs impersonations have been reported, with losses amounting to over AUD $99,000.
To report a scam on ACCC website, click here