I have been advised by my Department of an active scam to deceive people applying for visas to travel to Australia.
It involves scammers impersonating senior officers from the Department of Home Affairs and offering help with visa applications. Some are also asking for money to speed up the process.
Department of Home Affairs officials will never ask for extra payments to process a visa.
Anyone who receives suspicious contact about a visa application should immediately hang up or delete the suspicious email or text message and contact the Department of Home Affairs.
Information on contacting the Department of Home Affairs can be found on the Department's official website at Department of Home Affairs.
They can also confirm whether communication from the Department is genuine by checking their ImmiAccount.
Further information on simple steps people can take to protect themselves online can be found at Act Now. Stay Secure..
Quotes attributable to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke MP
"Home Affairs officials will never ask people for extra money to process visas faster.
"If you receive an unexpected call, hang up straight away and call back using a publicly available number.
"Calling back using a verified number is one of the four simple ways you can protect yourself online.
"Always use unique passphrases, keep your device up to date with the latest software and use multi-factor authentication if available."
