Tax Scams – Beware of an angry man on the telephone!
Many of our clients and staff have recently received intimidating calls from a person claiming to be from the Tax Office. Be aware that this is a malicious scam that intimidates taxpayers into paying a fake tax debt over the phone.
The scammers may threaten legal action, warn you not to contact the police or a lawyer, ask for your Tax File Number, bank details or other personal information and threaten arrest if you don’t comply. They can be very persistent and aggressive and may give you a name and identity number which sounds quite genuine.
The ATO makes thousands of calls to taxpayers a week, but would never contact taxpayers about a debt in this threatening manner. If you do have a tax debt, generally the ATO would send an SMS or letter to remind you that a payment was due. If they don't get a response from this they would then call you to discuss payment. The best way to verify that a call is from the Tax Office is to ask for the caller’s name and phone them back through the ATO’s switchboard on 132 869.
Other scams might offer an unexpected refund or grant which can sound quite convincing. The caller provides details which may be similar to actual ATO officer details or addresses – however, the street name may be spelt incorrectly, or the wrong postcode is provided with the address. The scammers sometimes quote personal information, such as address and date of birth, during the conversation to show authenticity, and also often have several private contact numbers for you.
Never send money or give your financial details to someone you don’t know and trust. Always verify who you are dealing with first.
It is important to advise the ATO and The Tax Shop if you change your address to ensure you receive all tax-related correspondence. If you are registered for MyGov you can notify any changes online through your MyGov account.
You can check on any communication that you aren’t sure about, or report a phone scam, by phoning the ATO on 1800 008 540. You can report unsolicited emails claiming to be from the ATO by forwarding the entire email to ReportEmailFraud@ato.gov.au.