"Hang up or delete the voicemail": ATO's warning over new phone scam
Taxpayers have been warned to beware of scammers using ‘Robocall’ technology to make phone calls from what appears to be a real tax office phone number and demanding payments.
The warning came after the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) received a “record” number of 40,225 reports of impersonation scams in 2019 so far, with just over $1 million in losses.
“Scammers are sending pre-recorded messages … and are manipulating caller identification so that your phone displays a legitimate ATO phone number despite coming from an overseas scammer,” said ATO assistant commissioner Gavin Siebert.
“We are now seeing thousands of Australians missing a call from a scammer, returning the call based on the number on caller ID and speaking to legitimate members of the ATO.”
🚨 PHONE SCAM ALERT! 🚨 Scammers are ‘spoofing’ our numbers in an attempt to legitimise their contact. Hang up on suspicious calls & phone our #scam hotline on 1800008540 for support. Read more: https://t.co/gASgV3U5vh pic.twitter.com/Yf3L60cQHD
— ato.gov.au (@ato_gov_au) April 4, 2019
In the voicemail, scammers often threaten the victim with an arrest warrant or a sentence if they do not call the scammer back on a provided phone number.
Once scammers make contact, Siebert said they will generally request debt payment through unusual methods such as gift cards, vouchers and Bitcoin.
“The scammers will threaten you with immediate arrest, attempt to keep you on the line until payment is made and may become rude or aggressive,” said Siebert.
The Office said it will never:
- show caller ID or send pre-recorded messages
- threaten taxpayers with arrest, jail or deportation
- demand immediate payment, or
- refuse to allow taxpayers to speak with a trusted adviser or regular tax agent.
“If you receive a pre-recorded message claiming to be from us, either hang up or simply delete the voicemail,” said Siebert.
Taxpayers are reminded not to return any suspicious calls or voicemail messages, and to instead contact the ATO’s scam enquiry line on 1800 008 540 to check if the call was legitimate.
Last month, the ATO also warned about an email scam where taxpayers are sent a fake tax refund notification with a malicious link that redirects them to a page designed to steal their personal information.
The Office said all online tax services should be carried out through a genuine myGov account.
Have you or anyone you know been a victim of this new ATO phone scam? Tell us in the comments below.