Dark Web Scammers Target myGov Website; Thousands of Accounts Now Suspended
The federal government of Australia warned that thousands of myGov accounts were hacked by Dark Web scammers who are using a “scam-in-a-box” phishing scheme. In recent months, thousands of myGov accounts have faced suspension due to growing concerns that they’ve fallen victim to malicious “scam-in-a-box” kits available on the dark web. These kits are becoming the go-to tools for creating counterfeit websites and gaining the specialized knowledge required to initiate phishing attacks on high-value targets, including Centrelink, the Australian Tax Office, and Medicare accounts.
According to 9News, the year 2023 has witnessed more than 4,500 confirmed MyGov scams. Consequently, thousands of MyGov accounts are suspended every month as a preemptive measure against potential fraud. The dangerous arsenal that the cybercriminal used comes in the form of nefarious kits equipped with security features. These enable the scammers to orchestrate multiple scams simultaneously. They can swiftly close down their operations to evade detection.
Some kits are even capable of identifying tech-savvy users, redirecting them to the official MyGov website. In many cases, the fraudulent websites they create are nearly indistinguishable from the legitimate ones. Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said that he is concerned about the recent scam that hit myGov website and the staggering $3.1 billion loss to the scams this 2023 alone in Australia. These scams hold significant appeal for cybercriminals because a large portion of Australians use the same password for multiple accounts. MyGov is currently the most widely used digital government service in Australia, and Services Australia is committed to actively countering scammers and hacker attacks.
The sale of sensitive identification data on the dark web has been a concern for many years. In 2017, the sale of Medicare patient details was reported. In 2019, dark web vendors offered Medicare details for a price, including fake Medicare cards and forged forms of identification such as New South Wales driver licenses, according to The Guardian. As Australian authorities work diligently to strengthen their cybersecurity measures, the hope is that the menace of MyGov scams will soon be a thing of the past.