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When scammers claim to be from the tax office or other government agencies and threaten you with arrest, legal action or other demands to force you into handing over your money and or personal details.
You are most likely to receive this type of scam via phone.
How they contact you1 | % |
---|---|
Phone |
97.0% |
5.00% |
|
Text message |
1.00% |
Tax scams are after your personal information and/or your money.
A caller, claiming to be from the ATO, says your tax file number (TFN) has either been suspended or compromised. You must pay a fine or transfer money to a holding account to release it.
An email or text message asks for personal information or provides a link to the ATO or MyGov websites to enter your personal information such as driver’s licence, Medicare card and bank account details.
A caller says you have a tax debt and may threaten you with arrest unless you pay immediately.
A person claims you have a tax debt, asks you to pay with in an unusual way such as gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers.
Important:
The Australian government agencies will never threaten you with immediate arrest, demand immediate payment through unusual means over the phone, or send you links to log in or update details for your government account (MyGov, Service Australia). If in doubt, contact your tax agent or the ATO via an independently sourced number.
Remember – Never share your passwords or security codes with anyone.
Important information
1Statistics taken from the October 2020 ATO impersonation scam report
*Examples are based on one or more real scam reports received by Westpac and the ACCC. For privacy purposes real names have not been used.