Scammers have been impersonating senior officers from the Department of Home Affairs, offering to help people applying to travel to Australia and seeking payment for expedited visa applications.
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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has warned applicants to be aware of the "active scam", after he was alerted by the department.
"Home Affairs officials will never ask people for extra money to process visas faster," Mr Burke said.
"If you receive an unexpected call, hang up straight away and call back using a publicly available number."
The department advised the minister that fraudsters were attempting to scam people applying for visas to travel to Australia.
Pretending to be a departmental official, the scammers offer to help with the visa application and some have asked for money to speed up the process, Mr Burke detailed in a statement on Thursday.
People who receive suspicious contact are urged to immediately hang up, delete the suspicious email or text message and contact the Department of Home Affairs via their website.
Mr Burke said calling back using a verified number was one way people could protect themselves online.
"Always use unique passphrases, keep your device up to date with the latest software and use multi-factor authentication if available," he said.
Visa applicants are also encouraged to check whether communication from Home Affairs is genuine by checking their ImmiAccount.
