We have recently received a lot of calls from our clients complaining about scam calls and threatening them about tax payments and arrest warrants (these are also in the form of voice messages sometimes), the scam callers are also asking for details Tax Agent Name, TFN number, ABN and other personal details, please don’t provide any personal details. If you receive any such calls quoting ‘they are calling from ATO’, please contact us first and then only provide them with any details.

According to ATO assistant commissioner Kath Anderson, the new method has fraudsters initiating a three-way phone conversation between the scammer, the victim and another scammer impersonating the victim’s tax agent.

“The cloned web addresses linked to scam emails are sometimes difficult to distinguish from ato.gov.au and the compromise of your personal information via this method may remain undetected with impacts only realised many months later.”

“Scammers aren’t just looking at getting a quick fix through an upfront payment. They are increasingly looking to get your personal information, and once they gain this data they can sell it or use it to impersonate you for their own financial gain.” Ms Anderson said.

We are here to help our clients and protect them from such scam callers, but please do not provide you personal or bank details in any case, once those details are shared we cannot help retrieving the money or information lost.

If you are in doubt about contact from someone claiming to be from ATO, you can phone ATO on 1800 008 540, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm Monday to Friday to check.

Or Call us on 03 9470 4281, 03 9404 2737, 03 8457 9514 and or contact our Principal Accountant Julius Mather, on 0404 038 796 or email julius@accountantsandtaxagents.com.au

Julius Mather
Managing Director-Principal Accountant