Is that myGov, Linkt or Medicare text real? One rule covers all three
That's the whole answer. The rest of this explains why it holds, what the real messages look like, and how to check without touching the link.
Why one rule can cover six organisations
These particular brands dominate Australian SMS scams for a structural reason: almost everyone has a live relationship with at least two of them. Everyone gets parcels. Most of us drive on a toll road occasionally. Every adult has a myGov account tied to Medicare, the ATO or Centrelink.
So the scammer doesn't need to guess whether the message is plausible. It lands as plausible by default.
Their response, over the last few years, has been to remove the thing that made impersonation work. They stopped putting action links in texts. That's what makes a link diagnostic rather than merely suspicious — the genuine organisations gave it up on purpose, so anything still using one is not them.
What the real ones actually look like
myGov, Medicare, Centrelink and the ATO
A genuine message tells you there is something waiting in your myGov Inbox and asks you to sign in yourself — through the app, or by typing the address into your browser. That is the entire interaction. No link, no form, no "verify your identity here".
So the check is simple and requires nothing from the message: open the myGov app or type the address yourself. If the notice is real, it's in your Inbox. If your Inbox is empty, the text was a scam.
Note the pattern: money you didn't expect, or access you're about to lose. Both produce the same urgency. Searches for "myGov scam" jumped roughly tenfold between April and May 2026, which is what a fresh wave looks like — and the fake messages routinely name Medicare, Centrelink or the ATO to borrow extra authority.
Linkt and toll roads
Linkt's own guidance is unambiguous: when they send a payment reminder, they always ask you to log in to your account. Not to tap a link and enter card details.
Australia Post
Same shape, same rule — a held parcel and a small redelivery fee. We've written that one up separately: is this Australia Post text real?
The new label on your phone
Since 1 July 2026, Australia's SMS Sender ID Register has been live. Organisations can register the brand name they send texts under — myGov, Linkt, a bank — and anything sending under an unregistered brand name gets over-stamped by the telcos as "Unverified", grouped into a single thread on your phone.
Scamwatch's advice is to treat anything marked Unverified with caution. Two things worth being precise about:
- Unverified is a strong signal it's fake. If you see it, stop there.
- The absence of the label doesn't mean safe. It proves the sender name is registered, not that the message is honest — and it does nothing for messages sent from ordinary mobile numbers, which is most "Hi Mum" scams.
The link rule above still does more work than the label, because it holds regardless of how the message was sent.
How to check, without touching the link
Always use a number or address you found yourself. Never one from the message — some scams now include a fake phone number as well, so ringing "the number in the text" reaches the scammer.
- myGov, Medicare, Centrelink: open the myGov app, or Services Australia on 136 150.
- ATO: 1800 008 540.
- Linkt: log in to your account, or ring 13 33 31.
- Australia Post: the AusPost app, or track using the consignment number from the original order confirmation.
Reporting it
Worth two minutes: reports are how these campaigns get traced and the fake sites taken down.
- Scamwatch — scamwatch.gov.au, or 1300 795 995. Feeds the National Anti-Scam Centre.
- Linkt accepts scam reports directly at scamreports@linkt.com.au.
- Then block the sender and delete the message.
The rule has one limitation worth knowing
It's excellent for these six brands and useless for everything else.
Plenty of legitimate Australian businesses still send links in texts — your dentist confirming an appointment, a courier that isn't Australia Post, a retailer's dispatch notice. "A link means a scam" is only true because these particular organisations deliberately stopped. Applied everywhere, it would have you ignoring real messages, which is its own kind of harm.
Which is the honest limit of every rule like this: it covers the messages you were warned about. The one that gets someone is usually the one nobody wrote a rule for yet.
That's the gap Is it a scam? fills. Forward anything to one Australian number — a text, an email, a photo of a letter, or a description of a phone call — and get a plain-English answer in seconds, whether or not it's a brand anyone has published advice about. No app, nothing to learn. If it's a real scam, the family is told; if it's nothing, nobody is bothered.
Common questions
Does myGov ever send text messages with links?
No. Services Australia states plainly that if you get a text message from myGov with a link to click on, it's a scam. Genuine messages tell you something is waiting in your myGov Inbox and ask you to sign in yourself through the app or by typing the address. If the notice is real it will be in your Inbox; if the Inbox is empty, the text was fake.
Does Linkt send texts asking you to pay a toll?
Linkt's own guidance says that when they send payment reminders they always ask you to log in to your account, rather than tapping a link to pay. So treat any toll text asking for payment via a link as a scam, no matter how small or plausible the amount. Check your balance by logging in, or ring Linkt on 13 33 31.
The toll amount was only a few dollars. Why would a scammer bother?
Because the small amount is the technique. You would question a $5,000 demand; you wouldn't question $4.83, so it slips past without triggering any scrutiny. The goal isn't the toll — it's the card details you enter on the fake payment page, which are worth far more than the amount claimed.
What does "Unverified" mean on a text?
Since 1 July 2026, Australia's SMS Sender ID Register lets organisations register the brand name they send texts under. Telcos over-stamp unregistered brand names as "Unverified" and group them in one thread. Scamwatch advises treating those messages with caution. The absence of the label does not mean a message is safe — it only means the sender name is registered.
Can I just ring the number in the message to check?
No. Some scams now include a fake phone number alongside the link, so ringing it connects you to the scammer, who will confirm whatever the text claimed. Always use a number you found yourself: Services Australia 136 150, the ATO 1800 008 540, Linkt 13 33 31, or the number on the back of your own bank card.
I tapped the link and entered my details. What now?
Ring your bank's fraud line immediately using the number on your card, then call IDCARE on 1800 595 160 (weekdays 8am–5pm) or the Australian Cyber Security Hotline on 1300 292 371 after hours. Report it at scamwatch.gov.au. If you entered myGov credentials, sign in properly and check your linked services and bank details for changes.
Does the same rule work for other organisations?
Not reliably. It holds for myGov, Medicare, Centrelink, the ATO, Linkt and Australia Post because those organisations deliberately stopped sending action links to defeat impersonation. Many legitimate businesses still do send links — dentists, couriers, retailers — so applying the rule universally would have you ignoring real messages.
How can an older relative check a message without ringing me?
They can forward it to a scam-checking service and get an answer in seconds. That works for brands nobody has published a rule about, and for phone calls, which can't be forwarded but can be described. It also means they don't have to weigh up whether the question is worth bothering family with, which is often what decides whether anyone checks at all.
For the messages no rule covers yet
Is it a scam? checks any text, email, or photo of a letter — including brands nobody has written advice about. One Australian number, a plain answer in seconds, and the family told when it's real.
See how it works