MyWelfare Security Page

Security on the MyWelfare website continues to be of upmost importance. MyWelfare was built from the ground up with security in mind and our security technologies and practices continue to evolve.

The Department of Social Protection has become aware that some members of the public have received text messages on their mobile phones from an unknown number, purporting to be from the Department.

When the person clicks on the link, they are brought to a site that has been specifically crafted to look exactly like the Department’s MyWelfare or MyGovID web sites. The person is then asked to provide their Name, PPSN and Bank Account details.

These are sophisticated scams. We urge our customers to be cautious when managing claims online and to ensure that they are using official Departmental websites.

Key indicators that you may be dealing with a scam are as follows:

• The message is poorly written. When crafting phishing messages, scammers will sometimes use a spellchecker or translation machine, which will give them all the right words but not necessarily in the right context. A top tip is look for grammatical mistakes, not only spelling mistakes
• The domain name is misspelt in the message (my-welfare.id). Although every domain name must be unique, there are plenty of ways to create addresses that are hard to distinguish from the one that’s being spoofed.
• Sounds urgent. Fake messages or emails will often try create a sense of urgency.

It’s important to remember, MyWelfare will never

• Send you a text or email with a link directly to the login page or support page to confirm your details
• Send you a text or email with a link directly to enter your personal or financial information
• Ask you to click a link in an email with an urgent warning about suspicious activity on your account

Your personal information forms part of your identity. Here are some tips to stay safe online and protect your personal information:

• Be cautious when clicking on hyperlinks embedded in text message or emails.
• Keep your personal information and passwords secure. It is recommended not to share your password with others and change your passwords regularly.
• Treat requests for personal information with caution. Beware of fake calls claiming to be from MyWelfare or another trusted government entity.
• Install anti-virus software on all devices and set the software to automatically check for updates on a daily basis.
• Make data security an everyday priority, practice good cyber hygiene and constantly review your security habits.

To ensure you can access our services with the utmost confidence, MyWelfare uses the highest levels of industry standard security. Some of the measures we take are as follows:

Online Security:

Our website is encrypted to protect your personal information.

We also use firewalls (a barrier between the internet and our internal network) to ensure your personal information is protected from cyber attacks

Two Factor Authentication:

Customers that have a verified MyGovID account will use two factor authentication. Every time a verified customer tries to login to a service using MyGovID, change their password or update their phone number, a text message will be sent to their verified phone number. This is an extra layer of security and decreases the probability that a bad actor can impersonate you and gain access to your account.

Two factor authentication is currently not available for customers with a basic MyGovID account. We encourage all customers with a basic account to verify your MyGovID account now so you can enhance the security of your account and gain access to additional services.

If you receive an unsolicited text message, email or phone call claiming to be from MyWelfare that you suspect to be fraud, please contact us by phone on  076 628 5191 or by email at support@mywelfare.ie.