Minister advises care with Medicare cards to avoid fraud

Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig, has alerted Australians about a potential scam involving people’s Medicare card details.

Senator Ludwig said welfare fraud is a significant problem and that the ultimate victims were ordinary Australian taxpayers.

“Medicare Australia has received a number of complaints recently from people who have been contacted by phone and asked to confirm their Medicare details,” he said.

“People claiming to work for a telephone company have been calling community members advising they have their Medicare details. At times, the caller offers deals on mobile phone services if people will confirm their Medicare details over the phone.

“If you do receive such a call, do not pass on your details, but get as much information about the caller as you can, such as the company they claim to be from, any phone number displayed and the time and date of the call.

“I would then encourage people to contact the Australian Government Services Fraud Tip-Off Line on 13 15 24,” Senator Ludwig said.

The tip-off line can also be used by members of the public for reporting welfare fraud.

“A high profile case just recently resulted from a tip-off by a vigilant member of the public who uncovered a massive $195,000 fraud scam. In February this year a Northern NSW woman was sentenced to three years jail and was ordered to repay the full amount after using a false identity to steal Centrelink payments.

“Centrelink receives more than 9,300 tip-offs a month of people not doing the right thing. I am pleased that many Australians recognise they have an important role to play in helping Centrelink keep the system fair.

“Last financial year, public tip-offs sparked 52,597 reviews of customers’ payments by Centrelink, resulting in 11,063 payment reductions or cancellations, worth nearly $130 million,” Senator Ludwig said.

“It is clear the vast majority of Centrelink customers are honest and entitled to their payments.

“Centrelink distributes around more than $63 billion in welfare to 6.5 million customers each year and we need to ensure that we stay on top of people who are deliberately taking money away from taxpayers.”