Warning over new tax-time scams
Australian taxpayers are being warned of crafty new methods fraudsters are using to swindle people out of their money during tax time.
More than $190,000 has already been paid to scammers during July and August, while a further 1600 people have handed over their personal and financial information after falling victim to both new and proven scams.
Assistant Commissioner Kath Anderson said the new method had the fraudsters initiate a three-way telephone conversation between the scammer claiming to be from the ATO, the victim, and another scammer impersonating the victim’s tax agent.
“One recent example had a taxpayer unfortunately thinking the telephone conversation was legitimate, and ended up withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash and depositing it into a Bitcoin ATM, fearing the police had a warrant out for his arrest,” Ms Anderson said.
Ms Anderson said taxpayers expect to be contacted by the ATO during tax time, so scammers take advantage of this and often pretend to be the ATO, posing as a staff member to swindle Australians out of their money.
“While we see new scams pop up from time to time, the most common scam is still the ‘fake tax debt’ phone scam, though the ‘fake refund’ and ‘refund for a fee’ scams are on the rise,” she said.
The promise of a refund can be alluring but Ms Anderson said the costs of falling for these scams can be high.
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“One taxpayer received an email which appeared to be from the ATO. The email requested her to click a link to download her BAS for lodgement. Clicking the link ran malicious software which gave the scammer access to all data on her computer.
“She later found that her credit rating had been severely impacted as the scammers racked up large unpaid debts in her and her business’s name.”
Be wary of calls alleging tax debt: police
Victoria Police has received reports from people who have received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the ATO, particularly in the state’s southern suburbs.
The caller claims the victim has an outstanding tax debt or arrest warrant due to the unpaid tax debt and tells the victim if they don’t pay they will be arrested, police say.
The caller then directs the victim to stay on the phone and attend their local bank and withdraw a significant amount of money, then visit a specific ATM and deposit the cash.
Simple tips to avoid being scammed
Taxpayers should be wary of any phone call, text message, email, or letter about a tax refund or debt, especially if you weren’t expecting it.
The ATO will not use aggressive or rude behaviour, or threaten you with immediate arrest, jail or deportation.
It’s best to store things like a tax file number or birth certificate somewhere safe and secure – don’t carry it around in a wallet or handbag or saved on a phone.
Be aware that scammers can use information published on social networking sites to steal identities.
Scammers may use threatening tactics to trick their victims into paying false debts in pre-paid gift cards or by sending money to non-ATO bank accounts.
For information on the latest scams visit Scam Watch, or the ATO website which lists scams currently circulating.
The ATO’s dedicated scams line is 1800 008 540. Further information on how to protect yourself is available here
