ATO warns Australians about ‘myGov’ email scam

Australians are being warned to be extra vigilant in the lead-up to tax time after hackers made fresh attempts to swipe personal details.

Australians are being warned to keep an eye out for phishing emails where hackers mimic myGov in a bid to steal people’s personal information.

The Australian Taxation Office issued the warning on Friday, saying it had received reports about the scam landing in people’s inboxes.

In a statement, it urged Australians to take extra caution. It said the “fake emails” claimed to be from myGov and included screenshots from the myGov app.

“Scammers pretending to be from the ‘myGov customer care team’ are sending emails telling people they need to verify their identity by clicking on a link,” it said in a statement.

“Don’t click any links and don’t provide the information requested.”

Those who do fall for the scam by clicking the link will be taken to a fake myGov page asking for their personal information such as bank details.

Australians would be notified via email or text whenever there was a new message for them in the myGov inbox, the ATO explained.

Australians have been warned to be on the lookout for tax scams. Picture: ATO

“These messages will never include a link to log on to your myGov account,” ATO assistant commissioner Ben Foster said.

“This new phishing scam contains classic warning signs like asking people to click a link to confirm their details and spelling errors.”

He warned that in the weeks leading up to the end of financial year, the ATO anticipated there would be more attempts to steal Australians’ personal details.

“We encourage everyone to be on alert,” Mr Foster said.

He also confirmed the scam was about attempting to steal personal information rather than gaining access to “live information” on the app or website.

Services Australia general manager Hank Jongen warned scams were becoming more sophisticated.

“If you’ve opened an email that looks suspicious, don’t click any links, open any attachments or reply to it,” he said.

Anyone who has provided their sign-in information to scammers is urged to change their passwords immediately and contact their bank if they’ve handed over bank details.