AI tax return scam attacks are surging amid the EOFY rush
Artificial intelligence is powering up tax-time scam attacks on unsuspecting Aussies, making it vital to learn how to protect yourself.
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Artificial intelligence’s surge in sophistication is set to make tax time 2025 the toughest yet for people trying to avoid being scammed.
Even cybersecurity experts are finding fakes harder to spot as scammers introduce AI-powered hyperrealism, deepfake voice calls, false tax tools and fake tax agents.
The Australian Taxation Office says impersonation email tax scams have increased more than 300 per cent from this time last year, and cybersecurity specialist Jacqueline Jayne says attacks using AI are far more advanced and personalised.
“Using AI and deep learning to analyse things like our social media posts, online interactions and personal information allows attackers to craft highly convincing, targeted messages that are much harder to spot,” she says.
Ms Jayne says in April there were 6189 ATO impersonation scams reported, and warns taxpayers to be vigilant in the coming weeks and aware of:
• Hyper-realistic phishing emails where AI tools craft convincing communication that is “hard to spot, even for cyber professionals who know all the red flags to watch out for”.
• Deepfake voices or cloned calls impersonating ATO employees, banks and people’s accountants.
• AI chatbots pretending to be help desks on fake websites that mimic real tax agents.
• Bogus bookkeepers and fake tax agents with AI-created profiles and advertisements.
• AI-powered SMS messages that are becoming increasingly personalised.
A report on 2025 cyber trends by cybersecurity platform SoSafe says Australia faces an unprecedented volume of AI-powered attacks.
“Cybercriminals are weaponising AI faster than companies can adapt,” it says.
“Attackers use advanced social engineering tactics like pretexting to exploit personal information shared online, which helps them craft false narratives based on real details to gain trust and credibility.”
The report says scammers have evolved from going after company networks and are now targeting people’s personal devices and accounts, with security specialists globally noting a surge in consumer-focused threats.
“By preying on individuals at scale, hackers are achieving their financial objectives through smaller, cumulative payouts,” it says.
Meanwhile, CPA Australia is warning people to be wary of ATO impersonation scams that land in inboxes first thing in the morning.
CPA Australia tax lead Jenny Wong says people should prepare for a deluge of scam activity in the next fortnight “designed to catch you off-guard”.
“That’s why you’ll often see them arrive first thing in the morning because you may be more likely to have a momentary lapse in judgement,” she says.
“The scammers know Australians will have tax on their mind and are vulnerable to prompts to act, which is why these messages usually create a sense of urgency or claim of significant refund.”
Ms Wong says people should understand that the ATO never included hyperlinks in unsolicited messages, and should look out for grammatical errors and unusual language in messages they received.
“You should always verify if the contact is legitimate by contacting the ATO on 1800 008 540 or by visiting the verify or report scam page on the official ATO website,” she says.
Ms Jayne says people can protect themselves by getting a password manager, never reusing or sharing passwords, implementing two-factor authentication where possible, and keeping operating systems on devices up to date.
“Be alert for incoming communication from anyone asking you to click on something, open something, share your login details, share your personal identifiable information, even if it makes you feel a sense of urgency, fear or doubt,” she says.
“AI-powered scams will continue to evolve month-on-month and there is no possible way to educate consumers and taxpayers about them all.”
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Originally published as AI tax return scam attacks are surging amid the EOFY rush
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