Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Older constituents in Leichhardt need to be extra cautious if they receive phone calls from people claiming to be from Centrelink. Thanks to Bob Madden and Kevin Molleneux, who both recently contacted my office to report a phishing scam. Bob says he received a message to contact Centrelink on (02)83787970. When he called the number, somebody claiming to represent Centrelink asked why he had not answered correspondence about his pension. Bob replied that he had not received any such correspondence, and was then asked for details of his pension card, which he gave. The person then told Bob that they would make an appointment for him to visit his local Centrelink office to discuss the matter. Bob smelt a bit of a rat in the noisy background in the call and the individual's difficulty in understanding English. He realised that this may not be a legitimate call and contacted my office. We got in touch with our local Centrelink officer, who rang the number, but when she identified herself as being from Centrelink they immediately hung up. Bob has lodged a complaint with Scamwatch and hopes that by reporting the incident other people will be forewarned. It is a despicable act when people target vulnerable, older Australians, seeking to steal their identity or access their finances. I would encourage anybody else in my electorate if they receive such calls and would like my office to make sure that these calls are genuine, please contact us; we would be happy to do so.