Wow, the year has flown by — we’re already into the new financial year, preparing for tax returns. We'll soon all be off to the accountant to see if we can reclaim some of that hard-earned money.
While our accountants are busy organising spreadsheets and forms to help with our tax returns, hackers and scammers are equally busy. Instead of spreadsheets, they're creating this year's phishing templates, leveraging AI to make them more realistic and error-free.
Some sophisticated scammers will register websites with names similar to ato.gov.au such as a1o.com. When you hover over the small link at the bottom of an email, it might look legitimate. Trust me, they can be very creative.
They will also be cloning popular tax return sites. With many available tools, they can replicate entire websites on malicious domains, making the fake site look identical to the original.
In addition, they are preparing smishing templates (SMS phishing) to send a barrage of texts with messages like, “Remember, it's time to do your tax return for 2023-2024. Click this link to complete this year's tax return.” I've even seen messages offering discounts like, “Save 50 per cent now by booking this year's tax return online”.
Finally, call centres owned by scammers are gearing up to make cold calls, trying to trick you into providing personal information over the phone or promoting the aforementioned scams to direct you to their fraudulent sites. They will ask you to confirm details such as your name, address, phone number and bank account information for depositing funds.
Scammers will go to great lengths to obtain your information and money. After all their trickery, they'll aim to get your bank account details under the guise of depositing your refund. Charging you for fake refunds is a common tactic they use to make money, while also gathering your personal information for future scams.
In about a month, they'll be at it again, using the same tactics to inform you that your tax refund failed to be deposited into your account, urging you to contact them to resolve the issue.
The worst scam each year is the ATO scam, where you're informed that you owe money to the government and must pay immediately. Scammers will be aggressive and insistent, threatening you with police involvement or debt collectors. A telltale sign of this scam is the demand for payment in unconventional ways, such as iTunes cards or other gift vouchers.
The following is an extract from the ATO website regarding these types of scams and what to do about them. For more information, visit https://www.ato.gov.au/
Verify a scam
Scams trick you into paying money or giving out your personal information.
Scammers often pretend to be from trusted organisations like the ATO.
We will sometimes contact you by phone, email, SMS and post. If you're not sure whether it's really us, do not reply. You should phone us on 1800 008 540 to check.
We're recommencing the use of an external debt collection agency, recoveriescorp. If you've been referred to them, recoveriescorp may contact you by phone, email, SMS or post. If you're not sure whether it's really them, do not reply. Phone recoveriescorp directly on 1300 323 495 to check.
Alright Askatech readers, you are now aware of the situation and the potential to encounter an ATO scam. Hopefully, with this information, you will be able to avoid being scammed this tax season.
As always, if you enjoy my content, please give me a shout-out at askatech@mmg.com.au
If you have any questions or suggestions for stories or information you'd like me to write about, feel free to reach out.