The Department of Health has recently informed Approved Providers of phone scammers targeting Home Care Package recipients.

Read the excerpt below from a newsletter we received from The Department of Health Issue #2019/9

Awareness of phone scams

All service providers should be aware that there have been recent reports of scammers targeting Home Care Package recipients via phone.

These scammers often start by offering a better Home Care Package and attempting to lure the client into making a payment of some description, including through the purchase of vouchers.

In one reported case, a scammer advised the client they could offer a better Home Care Package deal and that they were eligible to receive a sum of money, but in order to receive this money they had to pay upfront through the purchase of vouchers.

Service providers should encourage their clients to report any suspicious activity to them and the police.

Information on scams and the ability to report them can also be done via the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s website ‘Scamwatch’.

The full warning can be read here.