Scammers “Gone Phishing”

This time of the year is one of the busiest for us as Tax Agents. But we’re not the only one’s hard at work!  Scammers are working overtime to do you out of your hard earned money.  Identifying themselves as representatives of the ATO or ASIC, they are getting smarter at convincing you they are legitimate government agents.

The ATO and ASIC have updates available on their websites on how to identify a fake email or phone call.  If you have been the recipient of an ASIC email, check out this link to claim the legitimacy of it and what to look out for.

Whether by email or telephone, it is estimated that over 40,000 Australians have been scammed out of approximately $20million this year alone.  While the ATO makes thousands of outbound calls to taxpayers each week, there are key differences between a call from a scammer and a legitimate call from the ATO.

The ATO will not:
*   be abusive or offensive to you
*   threaten you with immediate arrest
*   ask you to transfer money into an account with a BSB that is not 092009 or 093003
*   request payment via unusual methods such as iTunes gift cards or other prepaid cards
*   request personal security information such as your TFN or your bank details via email or SMS or social media sites
*   ask you for money up front in order to receive a refund or other payment
*   direct you to download files from the internet.

The ATO, ASIC and other regulatory bodies should be contacting HQB Chartered Accountants in the first instance rather that contacting you directly. If you receive an email, phone call or text message and you are unsure if it is a scam, please don’t hesitate to contact us to verify the legitimacy of the correspondence. It is better to be safe than sorry.

– Posted 19.9.17

Ian Hogbin

This article is compiled as a helpful guide for your private information and is subject to copyright. We suggest that you do not act solely on the basis of material contained in this article because items are of general nature only and may be liable to misinterpretation in particular circumstances. We recommend that our advice be sought before acting on any of these crucial areas.