July 2022 – Tax Refund SMS Scam
The SMS will claim that you are owed a tax refund. In the SMS there will be a hyperlink that sends you to a form in a webpage they have made to replicate the real ATO page. This is where they ask for your personal information, such as credit cards details.
The best practice to avoid this scam is to never click on any SMS links claiming to be the ATO. The ATO will never contact you through SMS with links to their website or MyGov.
June 2022 – 2022 Tax Lodgement Scam
This is known as an email phishing scam and claims that your 2022 tax lodgement has been received. The email contains asks you to complete a to do checklist inside a link. This link will take you to a fake Microsoft page where they will ask for your personal information.
Best practice again is to avoid the link. The ATO will never email you with a link to login to their online services.
April 2022 – Fake ABN/TFN Application
This scam will advertise that they can help you get a TFN for a small fee. Instead of helping people obtain a TFN, they will take you to a fake website and steal your personal information.
Please remember that applying for a TFN is free. If you apply for a TFN through a tax agent, you should ensure that they are registered with the ‘tax practitioners board’.
Statistics on Recent Scams
In June 2022, the ATO received 1,166 reports of ATO impersonation scams, with $1,500 being lost. This is a 96% drop from June 2021. However, it is important to remember that these are only the numbers that have been reported to the ATO and there could be many more people affected.
Summary of Advice to Prevent Scams
Be careful when sent a text or email claiming to be from a government agency such as the ATO, particularly if the message contains a link to an online service.
If you have any concerns, you should call the ATO directly on 1800 008 540 and ask them about the issue raised in the email or SMS.
Source: ATO
For more information or assistance please contact Infinite Accounting Solutions on 02 9899 4730 or via the contact page at www.ias-ca.com.au