Communities and Vulnerable People
The Department of Social Services helps support communities through a number of programs and services. Further support is provided through grants and funding for organisations providing services for communities.
More information is available under publications and articles and related agencies and sites.
DSS also helps to support Australians' mental health.
No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS)
Beware of unauthorised websites and social media accounts
The Department of Social Services are aware of unauthorised websites and social media accounts that contain false information about the national No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) in an attempt to gain your private information, including bank or government agency (myGov, Medicare or Centrelink) details.
NILS is delivered in collaboration with Good Shepherd and the National Australia Bank. NILS provides access to fair and safe loans up to $5,000, with no interest, fees, or charges. Loans may be accessed face to face through approved NILS community providers, which are community organisations like The Salvation Army or similar local services or via the Good Shepherd contact centre (13 64 57).
The unauthorised websites may appear as search results through web browsers, and some are posing as Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (GSANZ) or NILS community providers.
Some of these websites have hyperlinked information about loans of up to $20,000 through the NILS program. The websites provide false information on NILS loan limits and repayments, and in some cases ask individuals to provide their myGov and/or bank account sign in and password details as part of the ‘loan application’ process.
You should not click on links from these websites or provide any personal or financial information on any social media platforms.
Information about NILS should only be obtained from trusted sources such as this website and:
- The Good Shepherd website
- No Interest Loans (NILS) – Good Shepherd
- No Interest Loans (NILS) for Vehicles – Good Shepherd
- Good Shepherd community service providers (found at Find a NILS Provider – Good Shepherd) which includes their phone number so you can verify it is a trusted source.
If you believe a website or social media message could be a scam, do not provide any personal or financial information.
NILS staff will never:
- Contact you via social media. If you have contact Good Shepherd through the chat function they will only provide general information about how to apply for a NILS loan
- Ask you for sensitive financial information such as online banking passwords or codes
- Ask for your sign in to online banking
- Ask for your myGov sign in and password details
- Ask for you to download software
- Ask for you to transfer money
- Ask you to set up a bank account with a specific provider to have money transferred.
If you think you have been scammed, you should consider the following actions
- Block all contact from the scammer
- Call your bank and/or financial institution as soon as possible to let them know about the scam
- Create new passwords
- Take steps to secure your personal identity documents
- Watch for suspicious contact such as emails, phone calls, texts, or messages through social media and do not click on any links sent to you
- Monitor your bank account for unauthorised transactions
- Report to Scamwatch
- If the scam is an advertisement, report it to the social media platform using their ad settings button
- Report the scam to GSANZ by sending screenshots and details to: communications@goodshep.org.au and report it to the Department of Social Services at fraud@dss.gov.au
- Report it to the police.
For further advice on scams is available from the National Anti-Scam Centre: Scamwatch.
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