Fraudsters out in force at tax time

The ATO urges taxpayers to be wary of criminals on the hunt for personal information.

AUSTRALIANS have been warned fraudsters are out in force at this time of year as tax time looms.

The Australian Taxation Office has urged taxpayers to be wary of criminals on the hunt for personal information.

New figures show that since the start of March the ATO has recorded a spike in scamming reports from the public — the number of email and phishing scams rose from 9368 to 11,344 compared to the same period last year.

The ATO’s chief technology officer Todd Heather said it was vital Australians kept their personal details as private as possible.

“Your personal information is the key to your identity,’’ he said.

“Protecting it is as important as locking your front door each day.”

The ATO has launched a new video which explains to Australians what information to keep private, including name, address, date of birth, credit card details, MyGov details, tax file number and driver’s licence details.

Scammers usually obtain a person’s details by emailing them, visiting their home or collecting their details via online classifieds.

The ATO also warns Australians not to share their TFN with anyone unless it’s their employer and they have successfully obtained a new job.

They also urge Australians to change their passwords shared with any family or friends.

To view the video visit ato.gov.au/identitycrime.

If you think your tax file number has been stolen or misused call the Australian Taxation Office on 1800 467 033 between 8am-6pm EST, Monday to Friday.

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