Beware of tax time scams!

Scammers are impersonating the Australian Tax Office (ATO) through emails, phone calls, text messages, and even on social media, aiming to steal your personal information and hard-earned money.

These scammers are sending myGov login links that redirect people to fake ATO or myGov websites that are alarmingly like the real ones.

These links are often paired with misleading phrases designed to trick you into clicking on them. Some of the phrases observed by the ATO 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”.

Be scam savvy this tax season!

* Don’t click on links within emails or text messages. The ATO will never send links within a text message, email or social media message.

* Always log directly into your myGov account to view correspondence.

* Don’t trust caller ID or the ‘sender’ of an email, as scammers can manipulate these.

* Never provide personal information or bank details via SMS, social media or email.

* If you’re unsure, contact the ATO on a 1800 008 540 or go to the ATO’s Verify or report a scam webpage, to see how to spot and report a scam.

If you are the victim of a scam, please report it at www.cyber.gov.au/report.

For more information on tax scams affecting Australians, visit the ATO’s Scam alerts page.