As the tax season unfolds there's a sharp spike in malicious campaigns impersonating the Australian Tax Office (ATO), targeting unsuspecting taxpayers via SMS and email, according to recent reports.
The scam encourages the recipients to click on embedded links, leading them to counterfeit myGov sign-in pages.
The endgame for these scammers is pilfering usernames and passwords, which could potentially be used to compromise the accounts and sidestep into other government services as well.
Scam tactics
Various tactics and phrases have been employed to lure victims into these scams. Some of the reported messages include:
- 'You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund'.
- 'You have an ATO notification'.
- 'You need to update your details to allow your tax return to be processed'.
- 'We need to verify your incoming tax deposit'.
- 'ATO refund failed due to incorrect BSB/Account number'.
- 'Due to receive a refund, click here to receive a rebate'.
Cautionary advice
Authorities are advising the public to exercise extreme caution. Taxpayers are urged to never click on any such links or furnish the requested details.
The ATO clarifies that while they may employ SMS or email to solicit a response, they will never send messages containing links to online services.
Instead, individuals are advised to directly type ato.gov.au or my.gov.au into their browsers. Furthermore, the ATO reiterates that they won't ever seek personal information through these mediums.
Residents are encouraged to stay informed, remain vigilant and report any suspicious communication to the appropriate authorities.