Medicare scam message examples
Example scam messages
Medicare: our records show your card cannot be reissued until your details are confirmed. Complete the update at medicare-reissue[.]invalid today or claiming will be paused on your account.
What gives it away:
- Medicare never sends links to renew, replace or verify a card; any card matter is handled inside your myGov account
- The link is not my.gov.au or servicesaustralia.gov.au, and 'claiming will be paused' is a scare line, not how Medicare communicates
- There is no fee and no urgent form involved in receiving or replacing a Medicare card, so the entire premise is false
Subject: Suspicious activity on your Medicare number. Dear member, your Medicare number has been used at a clinic in another state. To protect your benefits, verify your identity using the secure form at medicare-fraud-review[.]invalid, or your rebates will be suspended while the matter is investigated.
What gives it away:
- 'Dear member' plus a verification link is classic phishing; genuine contact about your Medicare number appears in your myGov inbox after you log in
- The form exists to harvest the very details it claims to protect: your Medicare number, identity documents and bank details
- Fear of a frozen rebate is the hook; checking your real Medicare account through my.gov.au takes a minute and costs the scam everything
How to check a message you've received
Never tap a link in an unexpected message. Instead, paste the text into the free message checker for an instant verdict, or check a suspicious link with the link & website checker. To verify directly, contact Medicare through its official app or the number on its real website — never the details in the message itself.
Understand the scam and the brand
Not sure about a message?
Paste it in and get an instant scam verdict with the exact red flags highlighted — free, no signup.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Medicare message real or a scam?
The messages on this page are defanged examples of Medicare impersonation scams — illustrations modelled on common scam patterns, not genuine Medicare messages. To judge a specific message you've received, paste it into the free Scam Scanner checker for an instant verdict, or verify it directly through Medicare's official app or website.
How can I tell a fake Medicare message from a genuine one?
Genuine Medicare or myGov SMS messages use the exact sender IDs Medicare or myGov. The examples below break down the tells that give a fake away — unexpected links, urgency, and requests for payment or details. If anything asks you to click a link or hand over information, treat it as suspicious until you've verified it independently.
What should I do if I already clicked a link or paid?
Act quickly: contact your bank, then follow the step-by-step recovery guide at /what-to-do. It walks you through who to contact — your bank, IDCARE and the right reporting channel — in the order that matters most.