Australian Welfare Agency Reports 22 Data Breaches in 12 Months

SIM farms, phishing and the dark web are all parts of an increasingly sophisticated scam wave.

A Medicare and Centrelink office sign is seen at Bondi Junction in Sydney, Australia, on March 21, 2016. Matt King/Getty Images

The Australian body that administers welfare programs faces regular attacks from fraudsters and scammers using stolen personal ID information, according to a Senate Estimates hearing.

Services Australia confirmed on May 28 that it had endured 22 attempts at data breaches this year, down from the 85 in 2024-25, and the 56 incidents a year earlier.