Scam accounts promote fake cost of living grants in Australia
- Published on April 9, 2024 at 08:08
- 3 min read
- By AFP Australia
Copyright © AFP 2017-2024. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
"Australian non-profit commission's goal is to provide immediate relief of more than $10,000 to individuals facing financial hardships with rental payments, utility bills, and other housing-related expenses," claimed a Facebook post from February 29, 2024.
"Whether you're struggling due to dire factors or simply need assistance, we're here to help."
The post was shared by an account named "Australian Non Profit Commission" whose profile picture showed the Australian government's coat of arms (archived link).
Similar posts bearing Australia's coat of arms and claiming to offer financial assistance from the "Australian Non Profit Commission" of up to 30,000 Australian dollars were also shared here, here and here.
Australia's federal government has announced a range of cost of living relief measures, including one-off payments for eligible applicants (archived links here and here).
But the supposed grant described in the posts is a "scam", Services Australia spokeswoman Jess Furlani told AFP on April 3.
"There is no such payment or grant," Furlani said. "We've seen cost of living payment scams before and have details of common scams targeting our customers on our website."
She pointed to a warning about scams published on the agency's website (archived link).
Moreover, the posts contained various hallmarks of scam.
AFP found no trace of an "Australian Non Profit Commission" organisation or agency on Australia's government websites, as of April 9, 2024.
No such organisation was listed on government registry Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (archived link).
Mobile numbers for the supposed entity listed on the Facebook pages were inactive when AFP called them on April 4, and some websites linked in the profiles were inaccessible.
One website that was accessible featured an "Apply Now" button that when clicked directed to an imitation login page for myGov -- a portal operated by Services Australia that allows people to manage and access various government services.
The page was not hosted on a "gov.au" domain -- indicating it was not a government website. Below compares the official myGov portal (left) and its imitation page (right):
Furthermore, the website shows a photo of a group of smiling people posing next to a cheque for $345,870.
However, a reverse image search found the photo was in fact taken at a charity golf tournament in 2019 in Hawaii (archived link).
The website also misspells the word 'commission' in its URL and on the homepage.
Several social media users left comments on the posts indicating they were duped by the scam or believed the purported grant was genuine.
One said an account "stole" her pension and warned people not to "fall for it". Another wrote: "Rental assistance please?" alongside a prayer emoji.
AFP has previously debunked scam posts in Australia here and here.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
