Tax Scam
Have you ever been contacted by a tax scam scheme via phone, email or correspondence? More and more Australians are being targeted and falling victims to organised crime. Most taxpayers that receive any correspondence from The Australian Tax Office take notice and sadly many open email links or give out too much information over the phone.
How to verify or report a scam
SCAM ALERT: If you receive an email from delayedreturn@ato.gov.au do not open it. More information can be found in example 1 of Email scams below.
Verify the legitimacy of a communication by calling the Australian Taxation Office. You can check on any communication that you aren’t sure about, or report a phone scam, by phoning 1800 008 540.
Report an unsolicited email
You can report unsolicited emails claiming to be from the ATO by forwarding the entire email to ReportEmailFraud@ato.gov.au
You should also contact your bank/financial institution as soon as possible if you provided your credit card details as part of the suspected scam.
Examples of tax-related scams
Stop and think about it. Why would the ATO be calling you to get your credit card details because you are due a refund? It might seem obvious but many Australians are forwarding their credit card details to complete strangers as part of tax scam scheme.
The Australian Tax Office never emails you asking for personal or credit card details, and you should never provide this information.
Here are some examples to help you recognise scams when you encounter them: