Melbourne General Practices Targeted in Ongoing Crime Spree
22 Oct 2025
At least seven practices have been affected, with thieves exploiting a payment feature known as ‘unmatched refunds’, which allows refunds to be processed to a card other than the original payment card. The incidents mainly occur over weekends when clinics are unoccupied.
Case Example:
Melbourne GP Dr Nick Rhodes discovered his practice had been broken into at around 2:00 am. Thieves took Tyro payment machines and processed $15,000 in claims across six doctors. “They went straight to the Tyro machines… they were definitely taken somewhere else because it was an hour between the break-in and processing the transactions,” Dr Rhodes said.
Police Response:
Detective Senior Sergeant Haydn Beale confirmed that Victoria Police are investigating the crimes and urged practices to report break-ins immediately without touching anything to preserve evidence. Police are also working with the RACGP to help practices improve security.
Tyro Health Statement:
Tyro confirmed that the fraud did not involve Medicare Easyclaim or private health insurance systems, but was limited to the unmatched refunds function. Tyro has since disabled the feature for all merchants, added fraud controls, and supported affected practices.
Security Recommendations for Practices:
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Upgrade locks to commercial-grade deadbolts or electronic locks with audit trails
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Reinforce doors and windows with security film or bars
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Install monitored alarms and CCTV at entry points
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Implement after-hours security processes, particularly for EFT terminals
Victoria Police continue to investigate the incidents and encourage practices to adopt these security measures to reduce the risk of future theft.
Source: newsGP – newsgp.com.au / Victoria Police
