myGov scams targeting Australians
he Australian Tax Office (ATO) has reported an increasing number of myGov related scams targeting Australians this tax time. Find out what to look out for and how to protect yourself.
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has reported an increasing number of myGov related scams targeting Australians this tax time. Scammers know that people are expecting to receive communications from the ATO at this time of year and take advantage of the opportunity by pretending to be the ATO or myGov. Keep reading to find out what to look out for and how to protect yourself.
What to look out for
Scammers are using technology that enables them to imitate official messages from the ATO or myGov. They are targeting Australians with SMS, phone calls, and email communications. The technology they use causes the messages to appear in the same conversation threads as genuine messages you receive. Furthermore, they often contain links, which when clicked on, will take you to a fake website that asks you to provide your details and other personal information to verify your identity. Scammers might claim that your information needs to be updated or verified, or your account has been suspended.
How to protect yourself
Below are some ways to protect yourself from myGov scams this tax time.
- Remember that the ATO or myGov will never send you an SMS or email asking you to access online services via a website URL.
- Do not click links in SMS messages and where possible, hover over web links without clicking on them to check where the link leads to.
- Phone calls from the ATO do not project a number on called ID and they will never send unsolicited pre-recorded messages to your phone.
- Sign in to your myGov account through the official website to check your online tax affairs.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your myGov account. You can set this up by signing into your account and headings to ‘Account settings’.
- If you are unsure whether communications are genuine, contact the ATO on 1800 008 540 to check.
Head to the Australian Cyber Security Centre website for more great cyber safety tips this tax time to keep yourself protected against tax scams.
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