While you might be smart enough to get your tax return in early, no one is too smart to be scammed.
Consumer Protection is warning Western Australians to be alert to tax scams, which are most prevalent around this time of year. And they’re easy to fall for because you’re already expecting some communication from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) or myGov about your tax.
Last financial year there were 43 reports of tax-related scams to Consumer Protection’s ScamNet team, with cybercriminals often using hyperlinks in SMS and email phishing attempts. According to the ATO, people aged 25-34 are most often the victims.
These scams encourage people to click on a link that directs them to a fake myGov or ATO sign in page designed to steal their username and password, or personal details.
Scammers are also getting crafty, sometimes even embedding fake messages into genuine text chains making their scam almost identical to the real deal.
As a scam preventative measure, the ATO announced earlier this year it was removing all hyperlinks from their SMS messages.
Phrases such as ‘You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund’ or ‘You have a new message in your myGov inbox – click here to view’ are commonly used to lure victims in.
Once a scammer has access to the account, they can make fraudulent lodgements in the victim’s name and change bank details so that any payments are redirected to the scammers account.
myGov will never use email, text message, or direct message on social media to ask someone to click on a link to sign in, enter bank details, provide identity documents or provide other personal details.
Robo-calls or calls from people pretending to be from the ATO are also still happening. Callers ask for urgent payment of a tax debt or say they need to fix personal information to process your tax refund. The ATO will never use pre-recorded messages and will never threaten immediate arrest nor demand payment through unusual means like gift cards or cryptocurrency.
Consumer Protection urges people to ‘practice the pause’ before responding to any emails, texts or calls no matter how genuine they might seem and especially if that contact is asking your personal information. Never send your personal or financial information to someone you don’t know or trust.
The best way to protect yourself if you receive one of these emails or SMS messages is to delete it and if you want to access ATO online services, always type my.gov.au or ato.gov.au into your internet browser yourself. Do not rely on contact information given by in emails and texts.
