It’s tax season, and people throughout the country are naturally a bit more likely to engage with any correspondence they receive from the ATO – problem is, the scammers know this, which is why they pose as government officials when undergoing phishing scams.
This is only exacerbated by the sophistication of these kinds of scams following the rise of AI, making it far more complicated for small and medium business owners to spot real communication from the ATO from a scam – as a result, it’s never been more important to stay on your toes when filing your tax return this financial year.
myGov Email Scams
These involve the scammers masquerading under the identity of an official ATO account sending emails with links to a fake myGov login page. Once clicking on the link, they’ll have access to your account details – the ATO outlines this particular scam as being 75% of every email scam they receive reports for.
Fake Social Media Accounts
The email scam is a more effective one for the scammers given how well disguised they are, but this one, a scam where they pose as an ATO employee to trick you into disclosing personal details with them, is a lot easier for you to identify – normally by their low follower count, lack of official verification badge, and new account date.
You can spot a fake here by remembering:
- The ATO will never initiate contact with you via social media like Facebook or Twitter
- They’ll never send links that implore you to enter personal details
- They might send you emails or texts but will never request personal information via them
Tax Lodgement Phishing
This one involves an email that provides a fake receipt number for your tax return lodgement date, imploring you not to call them and clicking the link they provide instead to ‘confirm’ your details.
Once you click the link, a fake website posing as an official Microsoft Sign-in page will open and request your account credentials – now providing all the details they need to invade your personal accounts and devices.
Remember, The ATO highly prioritises secure communication and will never ask you to open a link or attachment via email.
Avoid Tax Related Scams with Advisory One
Falling for phishing attempts and scams isn’t an indictment of your intelligence – especially considering how advanced these scams are nowadays. Our team at Advisory One are well versed in the most recent and prevalent scams, so allow our accountants to handle your tax returns on your behalf to ensure you won’t fall victim this July – get in touch today by calling 02 6324 5888.
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