Be aware of scammers impersonating the Australian Digital Health Agency

What’s happened?
The Australian Digital Health Agency has received reports of fraudulent telephone calls from an individual or organisation claiming to be a representative of the Australian Digital Health Agency.

It has been reported that the caller says they are calling from the “digital health agency” to enrol people to get a “health record”.

What do I need to do?
If you receive a call from someone offering to enrol you for a “health record”, do not provide any personal information, hang up the call and report it to scamwatch.gov.au.

The Australian Digital Health Agency will not telephone you with an offer to enrol you for a My Health Record. For more information on how to register for a My Health Record, visit myhealthrecord.gov.au.

If you have shared your Medicare number with an unknown caller, report this to Services Australia who will place your details on a watch list to monitor for any compromise or misuse of your Medicare record. Email  or phone 1800 941 126.

How could this affect me?
The caller is requesting personal information which could be used to steal your identity or commit financial fraud.

Reports indicate that the caller is requesting the following personal information:

• Medicare number
• Date of birth
• Email address
• Mobile telephone number
• Credit card details
Identity theft (also known as identity fraud) occurs when one person uses another individual’s personal information without their consent, usually for personal gain or to conduct further crimes.

Where can I get more information?
If you have shared personal information and believe you may be at risk, you can contact IDCARE, a not for profit organisation that provides assistance and support to victims of identity theft and other cybercrime. Visit idcare.org or telephone 1800 595 160.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner provides information about identity fraud including what to do if your identity has been stolen.

For additional information about scams, visit scamwatch.gov.au – you can also subscribe to a free alert service to receive updates about the latest scams.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre also provides advice for individuals, a free alert service to help you understand the latest online threats and the ability to report online crimes via the ReportCyber page.