Tax Scams

In the last several months a few of our tax clients have contacted us about an email they received, apparently from the ATO, that they weren’t sure about.

The reasons varied – for example:

Notification of the recalculation of a tax return with the threat of a fine or jail if certain details were not provided
Notification of an outstanding tax refund that had to be dealt with within 24 hours
Notification about an instalment-activity statement that needed urgent action

In each case, a link was provided which our clients did not use, preferring to check first.

We were able to advise the client in these cases that the emails were a scam, and they were right to be suspicious and suggested that they report the message by calling the ATO on 1800 008 540 or forwarding the entire email to [email protected]

However, with more sophisticated software available it is getting more difficult to spot a scam so extra vigilance is needed.

In the event that you have provided sensitive personal identifying information to a scammer by any means you should also:

Make an official report to your local police
Contact your bank if you provided credit card or bank details
Contact the bank the payment was made to and lodge a fraud report

It is only by reporting this malicious activity that the perpetrators can be identified and dealt with. For further information, please contact our office.