Older South Australians urged to watch out for fraudulent seniors card scam

Older Australians are being warned to be vigilant over a new scam website that attempts to charge applicants a fee in exchange for a South Australian Seniors Card.

Minister for Seniors and Ageing Well Nat Cook said the illegal website, www.theseniorsassistant.com, falsely claims to specialise in “providing assistance and consultation services for several senior-related applications and processes such as the Seniors Card.”

Cook explained that the legitimate SA Seniors Card is always free of charge and applicants will never be requested to pay a fee or disclose their bank, credit card or PayPal details in exchange for membership.

“These fraudulent websites are not only deceptive, but they also heartlessly target some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” Cook said.

“The South Australian Seniors Card is always free of charge, and you will never be asked to disclose your financial details when applying for a Seniors Card.

“Let me be crystal clear: applying for a Seniors Card is completely free. If someone is asking for payment, it’s a scam.”

Cook implored applicants to use the official SA Seniors Card website  www.seniorscard.sa.gov.au and said they should look for the official Government of South Australia and Seniors Card logos to ensure they are accessing the correct website before applying for membership.

“If you encounter a site asking for payment, report it immediately. It’s not just wrong, it’s illegal,” she said.

Those who have provided payment to an unofficial website are urged to contact their bank immediately and make a report to Scamwatch, the Australian Government’s National Anti-Scam Centre at www.scamwatch.gov.au.

For those who want to stay one step ahead of scammers and protect their personal information, the National Anti-Scam Centre suggests the following precautionary measures to avoid falling victim to such malicious activity.

STOP – Don’t give personal information or act on investment advice from someone you have only met online. Don’t feel pressured to invest. If you have any doubts, stop communicating with them.

THINK – Ask yourself if you really know who you are communicating with? Scammers can use different profile pictures and lie about who they really are, especially online. Do an internet search of the person’s name or photo to see if it’s a scam.

PROTECT – Act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank immediately if you have invested money. Help others by reporting scams to Scamwatch.