You should be wary of SMS and emails claiming to be from the ATO. We have developed some simple tips to avoid identity fraud.
Tip 1: How to recognise scam SMS and emails
Hoax SMS and emails can look very convincing. To protect yourself from scams and fraud, remember to look out for SMS and emails that:
- are unsolicited, and check whether emails are from a valid ATO email address – scams may include an official-looking email address to give you a false sense of security
- do not address you by your name, or addresses you by your email address
- ask for your personal or financial information, such as your date of birth, address, credit card details and PIN number – the Australian Taxation Office will never ask you to provide this information via SMS or email
- are poorly worded and contain spelling and grammatical mistakes – fake emails often, but not always, contain misspellings, poor grammar, missing words, and gaps in logic; these types of mistakes help scammers avoid scam filters
- promise you money
- contain an attachment for you to lodge a form – opening one could cause you to download spyware or a virus
- contain fake links for you to lodge a form – in emails, check where the link is going by moving your mouse over the link in the email and look at the URL in the bottom bar of the browser; if it looks suspicious, don’t click it.
Tip 2: Report SMS and emails that offer tax refunds in exchange for entering personal information
The Australian Taxation Office can only calculate tax refunds after you have reported information to them about your financial activity for the year. Based on that information, the Australian Taxation Office will automatically pay any refund due into your nominated bank account or send you a cheque.
Any SMS or email that requests additional information before a refund can be released is a hoax.
Tip 3: Report SMS and emails which inform you that you owe money, or your account is in arrears and state that the Australian Taxation Office will take you to court
The Australian Taxation Office will never email you with this information. Once they have processed your information, you will be sent a notice or account statement by mail to let you know of your total tax liability and if you owe money – this statement will also tell you when you need to make any payments.
If you are having difficulty paying your tax debt, it is important you contact us. If you fail to address your debt, the Australian Taxation Office will contact either us or yourself via:
- phone – generally during normal business hours.
- mail – to the address listed in the Australian Taxation Office database.
- an external collection agency.
- a personal visit.
The Australian Taxation Office will never contact you about owing money without sending you a notice or account summary. They will not start any legal action until they have tried various other methods to collect the money, including setting up a payment plan.
Any SMS or email you receive which appears to be from the Australian Taxation Office demanding payment, without the ATO contacting you by the methonds listed above first, may be a hoax message.
Tip 4: Always use online services by visiting ato.gov.au
Following this practice ensures you are logging into the genuine ATO website.
You will always be prompted to sign in with your:
- TFN and password, for the individual Online Services
- AUSkey, before you can enter the Business, BAS, and Tax Agent portals.
If you aren’t asked to do this, the website is a fake.
As an extra precaution, we recommend you type internet addresses directly into your internet browser, rather than clicking on links embedded in emails. You can also check the URL of the page you are visiting to ensure the site is genuine.
Be cautious when clicking on hyperlinks embedded in SMS and emails.
Tip 5: Make sure you keep your tax file number (TFN) and passwords secure
Don’t share your password with others and never reply to emails with your password or other sensitive information, including your TFN.
We recommend you change your passwords on a regular basis – try using one that consists of a combination of numbers, letters (both upper case and lower case), punctuation, and special characters.
