ACMA warns public to be on alert for ‘financial year tax scams’

Wednesday, 05 July 2023 08:49

The Australian Communications and Media Authority warns the public to be vigilant against fraud as the end of the financial year signals tax time—a busy period for scammers.

The ACMA is warning consumers to be on the lookout for tax-themed scam emails, SMS, and calls over the coming months.

Scammers are likely to take advantage of Australians who are submitting tax returns or waiting for the outcome of an assessment.

The ACMA identified common tax scams which include robo-calls or calls from people pretending to be from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) or another government department.

These calls require urgent payment of a tax debt, or request personal information in order to process a tax refund.

Consumers may also be targeted via email or SMS claiming to be from MyGov, including links to follow to provide financial information to receive fake refunds.

If you receive one of these calls or messages, the ACMA advises the following:

1) do not rely on the contact information provided by callers or in emails and SMS.
2) do not provide your personal information or make payments to callers over the phone.
3) do not click on any links in emails or SMS. These may be phishing scams designed to steal your personal or financial details.
4) The ATO will never threaten you with arrest, demand immediate payment of a tax debt or fine, or cancel or suspend your Tax File Number. If you are unsure whether a call or message is genuine, you can contact the ATO to check on 1800 008 540.

The ACMA urges the public to report scam incidents to Scamwatch.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 04 July 2023.

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ACMA warns public to be on alert for ‘financial year tax scams’