Victorians are being urged to act vigilantly, with scammers targeting myGov sign-in details to commit tax fraud.
Since June 30, Victorians have lost at least $2 million to the scams, with Victoria Police receiving over 309 reports.
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Victims are receiving phishing emails and SMS scams, which are impersonating government agencies.
The scams contain fake myGov website links, which, if clicked, prompt victims to enter personal details that scammers then use fraudulently.
Scammers then either generate fraudulent payments in the victim’s name or redirect tax refunds to be paid into their own accounts.
Forensic financial investigator and former ASIC adviser Niall Coburn, reveals how scammers work on this episode of Crime Insiders:
Detective Senior Sergeant John Cheyne from the Cybercrime Squad urged people to be hypervigilant about scams like the myGov tax fraud.
“Never click on a link sent to you that is purporting to be from the Australian Taxation Office or myGov, they will never ask you to access any online services via a link,” he said.
“Make sure you access your accounts through legitimate apps or via independent searches.
“We’d also recommend you conduct a bi-yearly health check of your accounts. Check your credit score or log in to your myGov account to make sure no edits have been made throughout the year that weren’t done by you.”
Common phrases currently being used by scammers include:
- ‘You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund.’
- ‘You have a new message in your myGov inbox – click here to view.’
- ‘You need to update your details to allow your Tax return to be processed.’
- ‘We need to verify your incoming tax deposit.’
- ‘ATO Refund failed due to incorrect BSB/Account number.’
- ‘Your income statement is ready, click on the link to view.’
Report any suspicious contact claiming to be from the ATO to ReportScams@ato.gov.au.
If you suspect someone is using your tax information illegally or has stolen your personal identity documents, contact the ATO on 1800 467 033