Mediscare as details sold online

THE federal government didn’t know personal Medicare details were being sold on the dark web for several months until claims were raised by a journalist.

But the minister responsible insists nobody’s health records are at risk, nor has the system been subject to a cyber attack.

Human Services Minister Alan Tudge said the issue is being taken seriously and has asked the Australian Federal Police to investigate possible criminal activity.

At least 75 files are alleged to have been sold since October last year. Mr Tudge conceded his department only became aware of the activity on Monday and immediately referred the matter to authorities.

“They will get to the bottom of all this,” he said.

“The advice from our chief information officer is there hasn’t been a cyber security attack on our systems as such and it is a traditional criminal activity.”

The number of people affected is believed to be only very small, he said, indicating his department had started contacting some victims.

But he stressed no-one’s health records can be obtained with a Medicare number.

“Anybody who suggests otherwise is irresponsible and is fear mongering,” he said.

“There is no indication that there has been a wide-scale breach.”

There are fears, however, hackers have exploited a vulnerability and could use the data for criminal purposes such as identity fraud.

Acting Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said it was critical the government explain how many records have been breached.

“We have seen weak statements that don’t go to the key issues about how many records, how long they have been available, when the government knew and what have they done,” she said.