Why you shouldn’t reply to this ATO scam text message

As an important tax deadline nears, cyber criminals are making the most of it to steal money from Australians. This scam went live on Sunday.

Aussies are advised to be on alert after one person received a phishing text message where the scammer pretended to be from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

The text recipient took to social media to warn others about the scam after receiving the SMS on Sunday night.

“Be aware! ATO fraud phishing sms going around,” they posted on Reddit.

The fake message read: “ATO GOV: We have banned your TFN, please provide the necessary information: bz-gov.pw. If you refuse or fail to provide, you may be subject to legal penalties.”

It comes as the May 16 deadline approaches for tax agents to lodge an application on their clients behalf.

Tax season usually prompts scammers to come out of the woodwork, especially by scaring people into thinking they will be punished if they don’t comply with demands.

This scam message arrived in someone’s inbox on Sunday night.

Some Reddit users joked that were the message true, then it appeared they wouldn’t be able to pay their taxes as their tax file number was blocked.

“Ban my TFN, well looks like I just can‘t pay taxes. That’s a shame,” commented one person.

“Oh no. How will I ever pay my taxes again??” said another.

One more Redditer suggested texting the person back, but others warned that even trolling the number would give the scammer more information about you, even if it was just verifying your number to them.

News.com.au contacted the ATO and the ACCC’s Scamwatch for comment about this latest phishing attempt, who both said they were investigating the matter.

Another tax scam that made the rounds two months ago.

On their website, the ATO said: “The real ATO will never send you an SMS or email with a link to log in to our online services.

“And while we may use SMS or email to ask you to contact us, we will never ask you to return personal information through these channels.

“If you’re ever unsure whether it’s really the ATO, don’t reply. Phone us on 1800 008 540 to check.”

The ATO regularly updates their website with the latest scams.

It’s far from the first time scammers have milked tax time for as much money as possible.

Two months ago, scammers impersonated the ATO are telling people they were suspected of being involved in cryptocurrency tax evasion.

To prove their innocence, people were instructed to click on a link and connect their cryptocurrency wallet — which would result in their money being blatantly stolen.

“If you receive an SMS or email like this, don’t click on the link. It will take you to a fake myGov log on page, designed to steal your personal information,” the ATO warned.