By AIDAN WONDRACZ, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA
Published: 00:28 BST, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 00:31 BST, 18 August 2026
Australians have complained they have been locked out of their myGov accounts.
Several residents revealed they had received a text or email saying they had been 'temporarily locked' out because of suspicious sign-in activity.
'Your sign in details have been entered incorrectly too many times. Your account is temporarily locked,' it reads.
'While your account is locked, you won't be able to sign in with Digital ID or passkey.
'If you were using an email address or mobile number as your username to sign in to myGov, we've turned these off to protect your account.'
Services Australia General Manager Hank Jongen said it was not a sign of a hack.
'Like other major digital services, myGov is regularly targeted by scammers and suspicious activity,' he said.
'This is why myGov offers secure sign in options using multifactor authentication, passkeys and Digital ID.'
Australians have complained they have been locked out of their myGov accounts (stock image)
Mr Jongen explained that scammers may try to hack into the account by using leaked emails or stolen information taken from data breaches.
'Like other online platforms, when myGov detects unusual sign-in activity, automated safeguards temporarily lock an account or disable some sign-in options,' he said.
'Some people will have received a security notification to their registered email address or mobile number about their account. This does not mean their myGov account or the myGov platform has been compromised but informs them of action taken to protect their account.
'This is the security measure working as intended.'
