The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has revealed plans to eliminate hyperlinks from all unsolicited outbound SMS communications by Tax Time 2024.
This initiative aims to prevent scams, enhancing public trust in the ATO and its systems, including tax, superannuation and registry.
The decision follows a surge in SMS scams exploiting the ATO brand, recording a more than 400% increase in the 2022-23 financial year.
We're saying bye bye bye to the use of hyperlinks in our unsolicited text messages by Tax Time 2024 ????. This will help you identify scams & make it easier for you to know when it's really us. More info @ https://t.co/EDECShQM72 pic.twitter.com/MghSLv6mCi— ato.gov.au (@ato_gov_au) January 17, 2024
Don't share sensitive details
Cybercriminals frequently employ hyperlinks in SMS phishing scams, directing victims to sophisticated fake websites, such as imitation myGov sign-in pages.
These sites are designed to harvest personal information or distribute malware.
The ATO clarifies that while it may contact individuals via SMS or email to prompt contact, it will never send unsolicited messages containing links or request personal identifying information (PII) through these channels.
It advises accessing services directly through my.gov.au or ato.gov.au and cautions against sharing sensitive details like tax file numbers, birth dates or bank information without verifying the legitimacy of the request.
In cases of suspicious ATO communications, individuals are urged to verify or report potential scams through the official channels or contact the ATO at 1800 008 540, especially if personal information or payments have already been shared with a scammer.
Australians more vigilant
Although the number of scams reported has significantly increased, payments to scammers decreased by 75%.
Following suit, the number of individuals who paid scammers dropped by 66% while personal information disclosure was also reduced by 71%.