The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has warned the public to beware of scammers impersonating the ATO and demanding payment of tax debts. These scammers netted more than $174,000 in April 2016 with iTunes and pre-paid Visa gift cards now being demanded as a form of tax debt payment.
Assistant Commissioner Janine Clark said that “in many cases scammers request payments that are either non-existent or unexpected. By the time these scams are reported to us, the cards have already been on-sold or redeemed by the scammers. The scammers don’t need the actual physical card. They just need the gift card number, which they get victims to read over the phone.”
“What we’re most concerned about is that vulnerable Australians who have little interaction with us are not only being led to believe this is a legitimate request for payment from the ATO but they are giving out personal information such as their tax file number.” Provision of personal information to an unauthorised person opens up further opportunity for identity theft and fraud.
The ATO will never request the payment of a tax debt via gift or pre-paid cards such as iTunes and Visa cards. Nor will they ask for direct credit to be paid to a personal bank account. If the person calling you is rude and aggressive, threatening police or legal action if you don’t do something immediately – it’s not the ATO.
Miss Clark went on to say “if you do have a debt, we would have written to you first. If we do ring you, our staff will identify themselves and let you know how you can call us back. “If you think you’ve been scammed or would like to confirm the legitimacy of an ATO call or letter, phone us on 1800 008 540,” Ms Clark said.
Other scams include those received by email or on a mobile phone offering a tax refund and requiring the completion of a form or a click on a link. These lead to bogus websites which ask for personal information including your mobile phone number and credit card details. By clicking on the link and providing this information you are potentially exposing yourself to identity theft.
If you are unsure about a call, email or a text contact your accountant of the ATO. See the ATO’s How to verify or report a scam for information about scams and how to report them.