Scam ATO, AFP calls fleece more than $2 million from victims in less than two years

It’s the well-known scam which has fleeced more than $2 million from victims in less than two years. Yet tens of thousands of people are still falling for the dodgy ruse.

Last year, victims were fleeced of $1.4 million by the scammers.

Scammers posing as officials from the Australian Taxation Office have fleeced more than $2 million from people in less than two years by threatening them with arrest.

So far in 2019 more than 8000 reports of the scam have been made to authorities, with more than $780,000 lost.

Last year 23,000 reports were received, with $1.4 million in losses.

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Typically people receive a call from a scammer who pretends to be from the ATO or Australian Federal Police.

The victims are told they have an outstanding tax debt and face imminent arrest and jail time if they don’t pay up.

It is understood many of the scammers are based in India and the criminals behind the operation have targeted victims in several countries, including the UK.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has warned people to be aware of the scam.

“People receive a call from a scammer or a robotic-sounding voice message pretending to be from the Australian Taxation Office or police, informing them they need to contact a phone number in relation to an outstanding tax debt, or face imminent arrest and jail time,” an ACCC spokeswoman said.

“They also tell people to buy gift cards like iTunes or Google Play to ‘pay’ the tax debt or a fine, and may get people to send money by other methods like Bitcoin ATMs or prepaid credit cards.

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“However, the tax office will never threaten you with arrest, or demand immediate payment of a tax debt or fine with unusual payment methods like gift cards or Bitcoin.

“People who receive a call or email claiming they will be arrested due to a tax debt should hang up or delete the email. Do not call the number provided.”

In the past week the AFP has also issued an alert.

Anyone who is unsure if a call or email is legitimate should telephone the ATO’s dedicated scam hotline on 1800 008 540.

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@davidhurleyHS