Be Aware of Scammers Impersonating the ATO
written by Darren Hagarty
Many Australians believe they would never fall victim to a scam and could confidently spot one or know what to do if they were targeted. However, scammers are becoming more sophisticated in their attempts to trick people into paying money or providing personal information.
We are seeing an increasing incidence of scammers purporting to be from the ATO.
In the wake of Scams Awareness Week (12–16 August), please know that the ATO will never:
- call to threaten arrest if you don’t make an immediate payment
- conference call in a third party such as a tax agent or law enforcement
- prevent you from discussing your tax affairs with a trusted advisor
- request payment of a debt via iTunes, Google Play cards, other vouchers or cryptocurrency
- ask you to pay a tax debt into a bank account not held by the Reserve Bank of Australia.
If you are unsure whether an interaction is genuine, phone the ATO scam hotline on 1800 008 540, visit ato.gov.au/scams or of course, contact your PT Partners advisor.
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