Scam alerts: Australians urged to stay cautious as ATO notes surge in phishing and impersonation cases

In today's world, more and more people have experienced some kind of data breach that exposed their personal information.

This has resulted in cybercriminals gaining access to confidential data and causing problems, from identity theft to financial loss.

That's why it's becoming more important for everyone to proactively protect their data. We must keep our guard up these days, and the warning signs of a scam should not be overlooked.



The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has recently raised concerns by warning about a significant rise in reports of impersonation scams.

Specifically, SMS and email scams target unsuspecting Australians to steal their usernames and passwords.


Screen Shot 2023-08-23 at 2.01.30 PM.png
Australians are being urged to remain vigilant after a spike in reports of impersonation scams. Credit: ATO.



Typically, these fraudulent missives are presented as messages from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), urging the recipient to click on a hyperlink within the message. Unfortunately, this directs them to a fake myGov sign-in page, where they might unwittingly surrender their vital information. As the ATO has warned, this could prove disastrous for parties that do not remain vigilant.

'We won't send you an SMS or email with a link to log on to online services,' ATO notes on its website.

'While we may use SMS or email to ask you to contact us, we will never ask you to return personal information through these channels. Our services should be accessed directly by typing ato.gov.au or my.gov.au into your browser.'



That's not the only warning coming from the ATO, however.

You may have also noticed 'official-looking' text messages, seemingly from the ATO, which advise recipients that they have Centrelink payments ready to claim.

The ATO stresses that if recipients click on the link in the message, they will not only be unable to claim their payment, but they may also jeopardise their personal information by doing so and expose it to scammers.


Screen Shot 2023-08-23 at 2.01.19 PM.png
Hyperlinks in scam messages usually direct users to fake government websites. Credit: ATO.



The government agency has made it clear that it has been receiving an undue number of increased reports of scams since tax time and that many of these scam messages lure unsuspecting people in with phrases such as:
  • 'You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund',
  • 'You have an ATO notification',
  • 'Update personal details to facilitate the processing of a tax return',
  • 'Verify an incoming tax deposit',
  • 'ATO Refund failed due to incorrect BSB/Account number', and
  • 'Due to receive a refund, click here to receive a rebate'.
You can protect yourself from these scams by remaining vigilant and recognising some telltale signs of fraudulent communication. Any activity involving clicking on suspicious external links should generally be avoided.

According to Scamwatch, over $25.7 million has already been lost to phishing and identity theft scams this year.

The ATO has warned that if you receive any suspicious communication or requests claiming to be from the government agency itself, you should delete it and report it to [email protected].



These cases emerged just a few months after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) issued a warning about a scam targeting mobile numbers and email addresses, putting people at risk of identity theft.

One text message urged people to click a link to view a 'pay message'. The message encouraged the recipient to open their myGov inbox, but not everything was as it seemed.

To read more about this case, click the link here.

Key Takeaways

  • The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has warned Australians to stay vigilant due to increased impersonation scams, especially with the new financial year.
  • Most of these scams aim to steal crucial personal information, such as usernames and passwords, through phishing, where the individuals receive an email or SMS with a hyperlink leading to fake myGov sign-in pages.
  • ATO also warns Australians to delete text messages claiming they have Centrelink payments ready to claim.
  • According to Scamwatch, there has been a reported loss of over $19m to phishing scams and more than $6.7m to identity theft scams this year, but the total amount is likely higher as not all losses are reported.



We hope we’ve given you insight into how important it is for us to think smart and stay safe online.

Here at the SDC, we always recommend that you research legitimate government websites carefully to ensure you are on the right track. The more informed you are, the fewer chances you have of getting scammed!

What are your thoughts, members? Have you received any similar messages or emails recently? What did you do about them? Share your experiences with us in the comments section below!
 
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In today's world, more and more people have experienced some kind of data breach that exposed their personal information.

This has resulted in cybercriminals gaining access to confidential data and causing problems, from identity theft to financial loss.

That's why it's becoming more important for everyone to proactively protect their data. We must keep our guard up these days, and the warning signs of a scam should not be overlooked.



The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has recently raised concerns by warning about a significant rise in reports of impersonation scams.

Specifically, SMS and email scams target unsuspecting Australians to steal their usernames and passwords.


View attachment 28125
Australians are being urged to remain vigilant after a spike in reports of impersonation scams. Credit: ATO.



Typically, these fraudulent missives are presented as messages from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), urging the recipient to click on a hyperlink within the message. Unfortunately, this directs them to a fake myGov sign-in page, where they might unwittingly surrender their vital information. As the ATO has warned, this could prove disastrous for parties that do not remain vigilant.

'We won't send you an SMS or email with a link to log on to online services,' ATO notes on its website.

'While we may use SMS or email to ask you to contact us, we will never ask you to return personal information through these channels. Our services should be accessed directly by typing ato.gov.au or my.gov.au into your browser.'



That's not the only warning coming from the ATO, however.

You may have also noticed 'official-looking' text messages, seemingly from the ATO, which advise recipients that they have Centrelink payments ready to claim.

The ATO stresses that if recipients click on the link in the message, they will not only be unable to claim their payment, but they may also jeopardise their personal information by doing so and expose it to scammers.


View attachment 28126
Hyperlinks in scam messages usually direct users to fake government websites. Credit: ATO.



The government agency has made it clear that it has been receiving an undue number of increased reports of scams since tax time and that many of these scam messages lure unsuspecting people in with phrases such as:
  • 'You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund',
  • 'You have an ATO notification',
  • 'Update personal details to facilitate the processing of a tax return',
  • 'Verify an incoming tax deposit',
  • 'ATO Refund failed due to incorrect BSB/Account number', and
  • 'Due to receive a refund, click here to receive a rebate'.
You can protect yourself from these scams by remaining vigilant and recognising some telltale signs of fraudulent communication. Any activity involving clicking on suspicious external links should generally be avoided.

According to Scamwatch, over $25.7 million has already been lost to phishing and identity theft scams this year.

The ATO has warned that if you receive any suspicious communication or requests claiming to be from the government agency itself, you should delete it and report it to [email protected].



These cases emerged just a few months after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) issued a warning about a scam targeting mobile numbers and email addresses, putting people at risk of identity theft.

One text message urged people to click a link to view a 'pay message'. The message encouraged the recipient to open their myGov inbox, but not everything was as it seemed.

To read more about this case, click the link here.

Key Takeaways

  • The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has warned Australians to stay vigilant due to increased impersonation scams, especially with the new financial year.
  • Most of these scams aim to steal crucial personal information, such as usernames and passwords, through phishing, where the individuals receive an email or SMS with a hyperlink leading to fake myGov sign-in pages.
  • ATO also warns Australians to delete text messages claiming they have Centrelink payments ready to claim.
  • According to Scamwatch, there has been a reported loss of over $19m to phishing scams and more than $6.7m to identity theft scams this year, but the total amount is likely higher as not all losses are reported.



We hope we’ve given you insight into how important it is for us to think smart and stay safe online.

Here at the SDC, we always recommend that you research legitimate government websites carefully to ensure you are on the right track. The more informed you are, the fewer chances you have of getting scammed!

What are your thoughts, members? Have you received any similar messages or emails recently? What did you do about them? Share your experiences with us in the comments section below!
 
In today's world, more and more people have experienced some kind of data breach that exposed their personal information.

This has resulted in cybercriminals gaining access to confidential data and causing problems, from identity theft to financial loss.

That's why it's becoming more important for everyone to proactively protect their data. We must keep our guard up these days, and the warning signs of a scam should not be overlooked.



The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has recently raised concerns by warning about a significant rise in reports of impersonation scams.

Specifically, SMS and email scams target unsuspecting Australians to steal their usernames and passwords.


View attachment 28125
Australians are being urged to remain vigilant after a spike in reports of impersonation scams. Credit: ATO.



Typically, these fraudulent missives are presented as messages from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), urging the recipient to click on a hyperlink within the message. Unfortunately, this directs them to a fake myGov sign-in page, where they might unwittingly surrender their vital information. As the ATO has warned, this could prove disastrous for parties that do not remain vigilant.

'We won't send you an SMS or email with a link to log on to online services,' ATO notes on its website.

'While we may use SMS or email to ask you to contact us, we will never ask you to return personal information through these channels. Our services should be accessed directly by typing ato.gov.au or my.gov.au into your browser.'



That's not the only warning coming from the ATO, however.

You may have also noticed 'official-looking' text messages, seemingly from the ATO, which advise recipients that they have Centrelink payments ready to claim.

The ATO stresses that if recipients click on the link in the message, they will not only be unable to claim their payment, but they may also jeopardise their personal information by doing so and expose it to scammers.


View attachment 28126
Hyperlinks in scam messages usually direct users to fake government websites. Credit: ATO.



The government agency has made it clear that it has been receiving an undue number of increased reports of scams since tax time and that many of these scam messages lure unsuspecting people in with phrases such as:
  • 'You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund',
  • 'You have an ATO notification',
  • 'Update personal details to facilitate the processing of a tax return',
  • 'Verify an incoming tax deposit',
  • 'ATO Refund failed due to incorrect BSB/Account number', and
  • 'Due to receive a refund, click here to receive a rebate'.
You can protect yourself from these scams by remaining vigilant and recognising some telltale signs of fraudulent communication. Any activity involving clicking on suspicious external links should generally be avoided.

According to Scamwatch, over $25.7 million has already been lost to phishing and identity theft scams this year.

The ATO has warned that if you receive any suspicious communication or requests claiming to be from the government agency itself, you should delete it and report it to [email protected].



These cases emerged just a few months after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) issued a warning about a scam targeting mobile numbers and email addresses, putting people at risk of identity theft.

One text message urged people to click a link to view a 'pay message'. The message encouraged the recipient to open their myGov inbox, but not everything was as it seemed.

To read more about this case, click the link here.

Key Takeaways

  • The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has warned Australians to stay vigilant due to increased impersonation scams, especially with the new financial year.
  • Most of these scams aim to steal crucial personal information, such as usernames and passwords, through phishing, where the individuals receive an email or SMS with a hyperlink leading to fake myGov sign-in pages.
  • ATO also warns Australians to delete text messages claiming they have Centrelink payments ready to claim.
  • According to Scamwatch, there has been a reported loss of over $19m to phishing scams and more than $6.7m to identity theft scams this year, but the total amount is likely higher as not all losses are reported.



We hope we’ve given you insight into how important it is for us to think smart and stay safe online.

Here at the SDC, we always recommend that you research legitimate government websites carefully to ensure you are on the right track. The more informed you are, the fewer chances you have of getting scammed!

What are your thoughts, members? Have you received any similar messages or emails recently? What did you do about them? Share your experiences with us in the comments section below!
If anyone falls for ANY email or text scam then they are simply stupid!
No sympathy whatsoever.
 
I get between five and fifteen emails a day that are bogus!! Because my hobby is so reliant on the internet, my email address is posted in so many places.... but the latest was the worst. I only use Facebook because of my hobby (journaling) because some of the sites I am subscribed to have Facebook pages that they communicate through. I am a widow and somehow a "doctor" serving in an American hospital in the Ukraine just happened to want to "friend" me. There followed a whirlwind romance you would not even read about. I was the love of his life etc. etc. etc. until he asked for a $100.00 iPhone card for his 15 year old son which he could not pay for as the US government had frozen all his accounts as a security measure etc. etc. etc. I went from the reason he was breathing to nothing in a blink of an eye, coincidently about the same time as I said NO to his request for money and informing him that there would be NO financial transactions undertaken by me until such time as I had actually met him which wasn't going to be too long as he was "due" for annual leave, but could not take it until he secured the funds needed hint, hint, hint.....
Ladies, be careful. This person makes it so hard to say NO. It was fun while it lasted, but that is all I can allow myself to think it was. Otherwise it could have ended up a lot worse for me......
 
I get between five and fifteen emails a day that are bogus!! Because my hobby is so reliant on the internet, my email address is posted in so many places.... but the latest was the worst. I only use Facebook because of my hobby (journaling) because some of the sites I am subscribed to have Facebook pages that they communicate through. I am a widow and somehow a "doctor" serving in an American hospital in the Ukraine just happened to want to "friend" me. There followed a whirlwind romance you would not even read about. I was the love of his life etc. etc. etc. until he asked for a $100.00 iPhone card for his 15 year old son which he could not pay for as the US government had frozen all his accounts as a security measure etc. etc. etc. I went from the reason he was breathing to nothing in a blink of an eye, coincidently about the same time as I said NO to his request for money and informing him that there would be NO financial transactions undertaken by me until such time as I had actually met him which wasn't going to be too long as he was "due" for annual leave, but could not take it until he secured the funds needed hint, hint, hint.....
Ladies, be careful. This person makes it so hard to say NO. It was fun while it lasted, but that is all I can allow myself to think it was. Otherwise it could have ended up a lot worse for me......
I had a similar thing though I never had a romance he started to ask for money really quickly. To me it was a red flag I stopped replying to him and blocked him
 
That's why it's becoming more important for everyone to pay by cash or cheque via Australia Post or across the counter and not through the internet.

Ho hum.

Or simply delete all emails purporting to come from "service" providers, banks and Government Departments, Nigeria or the UNHCR should they be discussing money in any form whatsoever. Yes; I have had emails from the UNHCR asking for donations.
 
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I had a similar thing though I never had a romance he started to ask for money really quickly. To me it was a red flag I stopped replying to him and blocked him
Well done you!!! There is nothing lower than someone who knowingly preys on lonely and vulnerable people (I don't know if that is you, but it definitely was me). I let it go on a little too long. The only cost was to my emotions.... what is the old saying? "if something looks too good to be true, it probably is!!" My experience was also very quick. I went from not knowing him to being the centre of his universe in about a week!!! That was one of many red flags. Very glad you were not stung.
 
Just delete ALL emails from people you don't know. This includes those from Government departments. Contact the gov dept by phone and ask if they have sent any emails if not, simply report the scam email to them.
 
In today's world, more and more people have experienced some kind of data breach that exposed their personal information.

This has resulted in cybercriminals gaining access to confidential data and causing problems, from identity theft to financial loss.

That's why it's becoming more important for everyone to proactively protect their data. We must keep our guard up these days, and the warning signs of a scam should not be overlooked.



The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has recently raised concerns by warning about a significant rise in reports of impersonation scams.

Specifically, SMS and email scams target unsuspecting Australians to steal their usernames and passwords.


View attachment 28125
Australians are being urged to remain vigilant after a spike in reports of impersonation scams. Credit: ATO.



Typically, these fraudulent missives are presented as messages from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), urging the recipient to click on a hyperlink within the message. Unfortunately, this directs them to a fake myGov sign-in page, where they might unwittingly surrender their vital information. As the ATO has warned, this could prove disastrous for parties that do not remain vigilant.

'We won't send you an SMS or email with a link to log on to online services,' ATO notes on its website.

'While we may use SMS or email to ask you to contact us, we will never ask you to return personal information through these channels. Our services should be accessed directly by typing ato.gov.au or my.gov.au into your browser.'



That's not the only warning coming from the ATO, however.

You may have also noticed 'official-looking' text messages, seemingly from the ATO, which advise recipients that they have Centrelink payments ready to claim.

The ATO stresses that if recipients click on the link in the message, they will not only be unable to claim their payment, but they may also jeopardise their personal information by doing so and expose it to scammers.


View attachment 28126
Hyperlinks in scam messages usually direct users to fake government websites. Credit: ATO.



The government agency has made it clear that it has been receiving an undue number of increased reports of scams since tax time and that many of these scam messages lure unsuspecting people in with phrases such as:
  • 'You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund',
  • 'You have an ATO notification',
  • 'Update personal details to facilitate the processing of a tax return',
  • 'Verify an incoming tax deposit',
  • 'ATO Refund failed due to incorrect BSB/Account number', and
  • 'Due to receive a refund, click here to receive a rebate'.
You can protect yourself from these scams by remaining vigilant and recognising some telltale signs of fraudulent communication. Any activity involving clicking on suspicious external links should generally be avoided.

According to Scamwatch, over $25.7 million has already been lost to phishing and identity theft scams this year.

The ATO has warned that if you receive any suspicious communication or requests claiming to be from the government agency itself, you should delete it and report it to [email protected].



These cases emerged just a few months after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) issued a warning about a scam targeting mobile numbers and email addresses, putting people at risk of identity theft.

One text message urged people to click a link to view a 'pay message'. The message encouraged the recipient to open their myGov inbox, but not everything was as it seemed.

To read more about this case, click the link here.

Key Takeaways

  • The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has warned Australians to stay vigilant due to increased impersonation scams, especially with the new financial year.
  • Most of these scams aim to steal crucial personal information, such as usernames and passwords, through phishing, where the individuals receive an email or SMS with a hyperlink leading to fake myGov sign-in pages.
  • ATO also warns Australians to delete text messages claiming they have Centrelink payments ready to claim.
  • According to Scamwatch, there has been a reported loss of over $19m to phishing scams and more than $6.7m to identity theft scams this year, but the total amount is likely higher as not all losses are reported.



We hope we’ve given you insight into how important it is for us to think smart and stay safe online.

Here at the SDC, we always recommend that you research legitimate government websites carefully to ensure you are on the right track. The more informed you are, the fewer chances you have of getting scammed!

What are your thoughts, members? Have you received any similar messages or emails recently? What did you do about them? Share your experiences with us in the comments section below!
You don't list the main points to avoid a scam

1. Email is addressed to Dear Customer , if they don't know your name it is a scam
2. If your email address is for example "[email protected]" and the scam email is addressed to rwilliams then they have used your email prefix to address their scam
3. If your email prefix is your name ie. Ross Williams then change it straight away, too easy to address a scam correctly
4. Look at email sender's address usually that is a give away as it will reflect the scammers intention
ie instead of "ato.gov.au" it may be " [email protected] "
Cheers
Terrible
 
I have recently received a flood of emails informing me that my virus protection is at an end and this morning 2 emails telling me that my Netflix subscription has come to an end. This was a scammer out of Canada. It amazes me how they get this personal information
 
I get between five and fifteen emails a day that are bogus!! Because my hobby is so reliant on the internet, my email address is posted in so many places.... but the latest was the worst. I only use Facebook because of my hobby (journaling) because some of the sites I am subscribed to have Facebook pages that they communicate through. I am a widow and somehow a "doctor" serving in an American hospital in the Ukraine just happened to want to "friend" me. There followed a whirlwind romance you would not even read about. I was the love of his life etc. etc. etc. until he asked for a $100.00 iPhone card for his 15 year old son which he could not pay for as the US government had frozen all his accounts as a security measure etc. etc. etc. I went from the reason he was breathing to nothing in a blink of an eye, coincidently about the same time as I said NO to his request for money and informing him that there would be NO financial transactions undertaken by me until such time as I had actually met him which wasn't going to be too long as he was "due" for annual leave, but could not take it until he secured the funds needed hint, hint, hint.....
Ladies, be careful. This person makes it so hard to say NO. It was fun while it lasted, but that is all I can allow myself to think it was. Otherwise it could have ended up a lot worse for me......
They are all over Facebook. I don't know how many "friend" requests I have had from so called servicemen, doctors etc. If they have nothing in common with me or no mutual friends, I delete them.
 
I have recently received a flood of emails informing me that my virus protection is at an end and this morning 2 emails telling me that my Netflix subscription has come to an end. This was a scammer out of Canada. It amazes me how they get this personal information
Yes, same here. Once again, I just delete them. It's a nuisance, but nothing can be done about it, unfortunately.
 
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I have had the ATO emails for a couple of years now and I just laugh and delete them as I am not a tax payer any more
 
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Just delete ALL emails from people you don't know. This includes those from Government departments. Contact the gov dept by phone and ask if they have sent any emails if not, simply report the scam email to them.
Just delete all government emails as scams after reporting the government email as a scam. It saves wasting time enquiring about the email from a Gov't Department. Then they might send you letters instead.
 
I have recently received a flood of emails informing me that my virus protection is at an end and this morning 2 emails telling me that my Netflix subscription has come to an end. This was a scammer out of Canada. It amazes me how they get this personal information
I have been getting that style of email as well so I sent them to the ACMA scam email ([email protected]). I don't know how much they can do but at least they can get an idea of the amount that's coming through.
 
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Just delete all government emails as scams after reporting the government email as a scam. It saves wasting time enquiring about the email from a Gov't Department. Then they might send you letters instead.
So according to you, I should have deleted the two emails I received from the ATO over the past ten days?

The first email which I received last week, confirmed that my tax return had been lodged and the second one which I received on Monday advised that my tax refund would be deposited in my account this week.

I knew that I would receive a lodgment confirmation email as well as a notificatlion of when the refund would be deposited and neither email asked me to click onto a link.

The money is now in my account and yes, I will be using it for one or more electronic transactions over the internet!

I do not WANT them to send me letters! I get all of my bills and notifications by email.


Here is the lodgment email:

ATO Logo

Your 2023 lodgment receipt​

Hi XXXXX
  • Your 2023 lodgment was received on 16 August 2023 at 02.35pm AEST.
  • Your receipt number is 241084160XXXX.
It takes about 2 weeks to process your lodgment. You can check its progress using ATO online services through myGov or the ATO app.
We can't speed up the processing even if you phone us. We will let you know if it's going to take more than 4 weeks to finalise your lodgment.
You'll receive an email or SMS notification once we have finalised your lodgment. This will notify you that your notice of assessment is available in your myGov Inbox.
 
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This is the very reason I do not have Facebook, WhatsApp, or any of these apps. I had an argument with my sister-in-law in the UK a few years ago about me not having WhatsApp. She said I could send photos etc immediately to my family. I asked her what the urgency was to send a photo back home here in Oz & asked what she does with her photos when she returns from a holiday - “ I upload it to my computer” came back the reply to me. I said I do the same so didn’t see any urgency in sending anything other than text messages to my family when I’m on holiday to let them know a little about my holiday.

I have had a few scam emails mostly addressing me as “Dear Customer” instead of by my name (very much a red flag), or “Dear Sir/ (not Madam which I am) your tax return will be deposited into your account with a request to give my account number. If I am to receive a refund then I’ll wait to see it in my account & do not give my bank account details to anyone.

Be careful Members. It has been the advice of so many of us - DO NOT GIVE YOUR BANK DETAILS TO ANYONE no matter how much you would like to receive a refund. Wait until you actually see it in your bank account to know it is genuinely yours.
 
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