Scams update - May to August 2025

Scams continue to be a big problem for NSW citizens, especially those scams pretending to be government services. Between May and August, nearly 1 in 4 reports to ID Support NSW involved fake messages or calls claiming to be from services such as MyGov, Service NSW, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Revenue NSW, or Centrelink. MyGov (39% ↓), Service NSW (18% ↓) and the ATO (14% ↑) were the most frequently impersonated, followed by Revenue NSW (8% ↑) and Centrelink (6% ↓).

Scammers often use the names of trusted organisation to trick people.

The most common problems experienced as a result of scams include:

• Misuse of credentials (86% of cases)
• Compromised accounts (65% of cases) 

Scams using fake websites were most likely to cost people money. Scams through phone calls and social media were more likely to lead to identity theft.

In many cases (40%), people didn’t know how the scam started, they only found out after their details were misused. This suggests scammers may be using automated tools or getting information from other data breaches.

Scam activity is growing slowly but steadily, suggesting that scammers are running ongoing campaigns. They’re targeting systems like MyGov and the ATO because these give access to many services and benefits. 

While cyber criminals remain focused on these scams, new trends are also emerging:

• Visa and immigration scams often use fake websites (https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/about-us/news-and-alerts/beware-of-immigration-scams)  
• Scams pretending to be overseas police use social media and phone calls (Threats and extortion (fines and penalties) | NSW Government).

Get support

ID Support NSW is a free government support service for all people in NSW to help individuals restore and protect their identity documents and personal information.

If you believe your personal information has been stolen, used, breached, or accessed without your knowledge or consent, or anyone impacted by this unfortunate event, contact ID Support NSW.

Call us

To receive personalised guidance from one of our team, call 1800 001 040. You can quickly and easily safeguard your information in around ten minutes, typically without any hold time. When you call, please have your reference number (below) ready.

Advisors are available between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Interpreter services are available.