ATO warning over $11790 tax refund email: 'On the rise'

Aussies are being bombarded with scam emails impersonating the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) promising fake tax refunds. Fraudsters will often impersonate well-known organisations like the tax office to try and trick people into handing over their personal details and log-in information.
In one email seen by Yahoo Finance, scammers claim the recipient is entitled to a $11,790 tax refund. They claim the recipient needs to verify their payment details by clicking a “secure link” included in the email to ensure they receive “accurate and timely payment”.
An ATO spokesperson told Yahoo Finance that impersonation scams were continuing to pose a risk to the community and were on the up.
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“ATO and myGov-themed email phishing scams, and variations of these, are some of the most commonly reported scams received from the community and are on the rise,” the spokesperson said.
“The ATO may use SMS or email to ask taxpayers to contact us, but we will never send an unsolicited message containing a hyperlink to log on to online services.”
In December, the ATO received 4,866 reports of impersonation scams, with 90 per cent of those email scams.
Have you fallen for an ATO scam? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com
Luckily, there were no reports of payments being made to scammers. The demographic who most reported providing personal information to scammers were people aged over 65 years old.
Other scam emails circulating included one where scammers pretend to be from the ATO or myGov and tell people their taxable income has been recalculated and they are due to receive compensation.
They then ask the recipient to reply to the email with personal identifying information, such as payslips, their tax file number, driver’s licence and Medicare details.
The ATO has urged Aussies to ‘stop, check and protect’ before giving anyone their personal information.
“If you receive a message from the ATO asking for your personal information, phone us on 1800 008 540 to make sure it's legitimate,” the ATO spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.
“If you think it's fraudulent, report it by sending an email to ReportScams@ato.gov.au.”
The warning comes as the ATO sounds the alarm over dodgy tax schemes spreading online, including through social media.
The schemes promise taxpayers they can significantly reduce or avoid tax altogether and are sometimes peddled as investment schemes.
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“We don’t want to see honest people lured into unlawful tax schemes with false promises of high returns and tax savings – if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is,” ATO acting deputy commissioner Sarah Taylor said.
“Those who invest in unlawful tax schemes stand to lose their hard-earned cash, and risk paying tax with interest and heavy penalties.”
The ATO website has listed several tax schemes to look out for.
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