Bonza Mobile Computer Repairs

Tax Refund Scams

There are a number of refund scam emails currently circulating. These emails claim to come from the ATO and offer a tax refund. They link to a bogus ATO website asking for personal and credit card details. These emails can differ in their appearance and level of sophistication but will generally state that you are eligible for a refund and instruct you to click on a link to submit a form to receive it. The ATO will never email you asking for personal or credit card details and you should never provide this information.

Key indicators of the email scam include:

• The email asks you to provide personal details. Always be suspicious of this.
• It is poorly worded with spelling and grammatical mistakes (though this is not always the case)
• It includes an attachment (form) or link to a webpage to lodge a form.
• It asks for credit card and PIN numbers.

Unsolicited Phonecall Scams

You receive a call from a person saying that they are from “The Tax Office’s Australian Government Grants Department”. The person asks to clarify your name and address and says you will receive a cheque for $5200, hand delivered the next day. In order to get this cheque, you need to call a phone number back to confirm eligibility.

Key indicators of the phonecall scam include:

• The caller advises that you have an unclaimed refund.
• You are asked to pay a sum of money to a third party in order to receive the refund.
• The payment must be made through a money transfer.

Remember, no official institution will ever contact you directly for your secure information.

Tags: ato scams, australian tax office scams, online scams, phone scams, phonecall scams, tax refund scams