As the cost of living continues to rise, the promise of extra cash could be a beacon of hope for many.

A wave of articles recently made rounds online, claiming substantial payments for seniors and Centrelink recipients.

However, it's essential to approach these promises with a healthy dose of scepticism.

These 'life-changing benefits' may be alluring, but a spokesperson for the National Anti-Scam Centre warned that these claims are illegitimate.

The fraudulent websites promised payments ranging from $1,490 to a whopping $2,100.

Some fraudsters even promised hefty tax refunds or parenting payments to lure people in.

Services Australia reiterated the importance of keeping your personal and financial information safe from scammers. Image Credit: Shutterstock/Bennography

Services Australia reminded beneficiaries to ignore unofficial websites and social media accounts peddling false information about Centrelink bonuses.

'You might read about a new "one-off payment", "Centrelink cash relief payment" or "bonus payment" to help with the cost of living, help people getting Age Pension, or help people who have a concession card,' a Services Australia spokesperson shared.

'They offer varying amounts of money, but these payments don't exist.'

Previous Centrelink scams indicated one-off bonuses ranging from $750 to $1,800.

Services Australia advised Aussies to carefully check the websites where these Centrelink payments are being posted.

If a website does not end in '.gov.au', it is not from an official government source.

Many scam websites end in '.in', indicating origins from India.

They also advised to avoid clicking on the links—especially those asking customers to 'check your eligibility' for upcoming payments.

This tactic could harvest a person's personal and financial information.

Services Australia assured everyone that any changes or updates about payments would be posted through their official channels.

The National Anti-Scam Centre also shared a three-step approach to preventing scams: Stop, Check, and Protect.

• Stop giving out money or personal information if you're unsure.
• Check by verifying the claims with the official organisation's phone number.
• Protect yourself by contacting your bank or card provider if you suspect you've been scammed.

Victims may also report the scam to their local authorities and ScamWatch.

While a $2,100 Centrelink payment might seem like a godsend, stay vigilant and informed.

Stay safe and sceptical, and if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Key Takeaways

• Australians have been warned about misleading promises about Centrelink payment boosts on scam websites.
• The sites offered false information about substantial 'cost-of-living' bonuses reaching up to $2,100.
• Services Australia have confirmed that the said payouts do not exist and has advised people to be cautious of unofficial websites.
• To avoid scams, stop providing information online, check by contacting official channels, and protect yourself by reporting scams to authorities and banks.

Have you encountered similar Centrelink scams as of late? Share your experiences and advice with us in the comments below.

 

[harrywwc]

think before you click.

if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

t.a.n.s.t.a.a.f.l. - their ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

 

[Zemo]

How long before the scammongrels work out how to attach the ".gov.au" to their email addresses?

 

[prof]

yes, I received a e mail informing of a refund. The give away is a link that I was to click on for more information. This is a clear giveaway of the scam. I deleted the e mail and logged on to my gov account from a different search engine and checked out the refund. Nothing there.

 

[BeautifulMousey]

No would not I be checking to see if I was eligible. If you were Centrelink already has your details so there would be no reason to check. Only thing you might need to check is if it was flood relief, fire relief or something like that. You would be walking straight into a scam. Could definately use the money but not worth getting scammed for. Use your brains, if you have them

 

[BruceC]

Once again!
If you click on any link in any email before checking its authenticity directly with the relevant provider then you deserve to lose everything!
Sick to death of hearing about fools who click on these links, lose $$$$ then blame everyone other than themselves.. Especially the banks. Somehow it’s always the banks fault.

 

[Mummanew]

There's an old saying "A fool and his money are soon parted". There will always be gullible people which means there'll always be scammers.

 

[jsan]

I feel sorry for those people who get caught in these scams I have watched the scammers on ytube and have seen how easily it is to be caught These scammers offer very sophisticated ways of talking you out of your money Unfortunately there are a lot of older people who they catch in their web

 

[Helenmac]

As if the government/Centrelink would give away that much money to anyone.

 

[BeautifulMousey]

As if the government/Centrelink would give away that much money to anyone.

If you were entitled to extra money from Centrelink, you would not have to check and see if you were eligible as they already have your details and don't need you to contact them except if you needed money for flood,fire or something like that but otherwise you are looking directly at a scam. I could use the money if it was there but don't need to see if I was eligible. Don't fall for it. Sounds good but it isn't there.

 

[BeautifulMousey]

How long before the scammongrels work out how to attach the ".gov.au" to their email addresses?

They would most likely get caught very fast if they tried adding .gov .au very fast cause government would know the scam address doesn't exist and someone would see very fast it was a scam

 

[magpie1]

I can't understand how these advertisements are allowed to be displayed in the first place...the Government and the Police know that they are fake and just trying to scam people with their advertisements. Surely Google would be receiving a lot of bad comments about these sites and would be aware that they are just out to scam people....False Advertising at its finest. Time to shut these bastards down once and forever and bring charges against them.

 

[BeautifulMousey]

How long before the scammongrels work out how to attach the ".gov.au" to their email addresses?

They would most likely get caught very fast if they tried adding .gov .au very fast cause government would know the scam address doesn't exist and someone would see very fast it was a sca

There's an old saying "A fool and his money are soon parted". There will always be gullible people which means there'll always be scammers.

How many of these people losing thousands of dollars to these scams. In a way shows that the ones with money are getting caught out because they are greedy in the first place trying to get extra

 

[Veggiepatch]

For over a year, I have been getting fake emails from "myGov" with email address domains as far flung as .de (Germany), .br (Brazil), .jp (Japan) and .me (Montenegro). Usually accompanied with "An important message from My GOV, my gov, MYGOV " or something similarly erroneous.

If you can't notice these glaring mistakes, then you don't deserve to have internet access.

Age is not an excuse. But stupidity is.

 

[pascoevale]

So how is it people still get drawn into so many scams if it sounds to good to be true it is especially anything associated with internet So why with educational programs like scammer payback and others yet nobody spends the time to look at them and how scammer operates how can pet be so gullible banks and the like don’t just phone you out of the blue with unbelievable deals people still fall for the crap they tell you and believe it then it goes wrong and you blame every and everyone else except yourself

 

[Funnybugger]

I see these all of the time. I always check with google revies and it will tell you if it’s a scam. Also my gov will send notification that you have mail from centrelink if it is real.

 

[Therese47]

I feel sorry for those people who get caught in these scams I have watched the scammers on ytube and have seen how easily it is to be caught These scammers offer very sophisticated ways of talking you out of your money Unfortunately there are a lot of older people who they catch in their web

I am 78 years old and unfortunately my generation we must be the last one where you could trust other people. Now a days it is frightful how badly we oldies to get caught by the scammers.

 

[BruceC]

There's an old saying "A fool and his money are soon parted". There will always be gullible people which means there'll always be scammers.

Exactly!
I have said this many times.

 

[Jumping Jack Flash]

I do not believe a word of what this Government has to say ..... particularly if it is out of the gob of that useless and pathetic little man aka Albanese aka Elmer Fudd aka Australia's answer to Joe Biden .....

 

[Zemo]

They would most likely get caught very fast if they tried adding .gov .au very fast cause government would know the scam address doesn't exist and someone would see very fast it was a scam

All they'd have to do is try -- I'm sure they'd get a few and the money flies straight overseas, with no way of getting it back. There are lots and lots of people who'd fall for it. Just a fraction of the population is all they need for a quick entry into their kick.