‘Always makes my heart pound’: Scary ATO scam trend that has become a ‘plague’

A simple screenshot of an official-looking email has exposed a wild ATO scam that is leaving Aussies panicked.

There’s nothing that fills me with dread and panic more than an unexpected email from the ATO. But, at second glance the email that landed in my inbox this week is obviously a scam and it’s clear I’m far from the only one receiving it.

This year, I’ve been on the receiving end of a barrage of official-looking emails claiming to be from the Australian Taxation Office – spoiler alert, they’re not.

One of the most recent emails I received was the most realistic-looking email I’d gotten so far, which I stumbled upon while enjoying a lunch break at work.

I instantly panicked because it appeared as a legitimate email from the Australian Taxation Office and I was caught off-guard.

“You have a new payment message in your inbox,” it read, with a ‘View now’ link to click.

The email ended with, “Regards, ATO.”

It was simple and concise, which made the correspondence seem genuine.

The email was particularly triggering because it’s tax time, and I’m always worried I’ve made a mistake that will result in me owing the ATO a substantial amount of money.

When the email appeared in my inbox my knee-jerk reaction was to click on it and see what the ATO wanted.

Never miss the latest wealth and culture news from Australia and around the world - download the news.com.au app direct to your phone.

The email at first glance looked like the real thing to me. Picture: News.com.au

I am always scared I’ll somehow end up in ATO debt. Picture: News.com.au

I managed to stop myself from spiralling too much, and took a deep breath. I then clicked on the sender’s email to double-check who sent it.

Even though it appeared to be from the ATO, once I double-clicked on the email, it revealed a completely different and clearly unofficial email address.

The ATO scam is scary, given how legitimate it appeared. If I had rushed to click on the link, we could be telling a very different story today.

Thinking about what might have been is enough to give someone a stress rash.

The new scam doing the rounds has not been good for my nervous system. Picture: News.com.au

When I double clicked the email the real address came up. Picture: News.com.au

Accountant issues warning on ‘plague’

Accountant Linda Mirams said that ATO scams are becoming increasingly common to the point she called it “a plague” that is impacting far too many Aussies.

Ms Mirams had five clients this year alone who have been scammed by clicking on links in emails that they believed were official correspondence from the ATO.

“They prey on people thinking ‘oh s**t, the ATO is going to come arrest me’,” she told news.com.au.

According to Ms Mirams, the way the scam works is that once people click on the link in the email, it somehow means hackers can obtain enough personal details to fill out the person’s tax return without them knowing.

The scammer then logs into the victim’s myGov or ATO account, updates their bank details with their own, files their return, and pockets the refund.

Obviously, because they’re trying to get as much money back as possible. They’ll also go to town on claiming stuff.

Linda Mirams warned Aussies need to be careful this tax season. Picture: Supplied

She said the reason the scam works is because people get nervous around tax time. Picture: iStock

Ms Mirams said the hackers are smart and also unlink people’s tax agents from their accounts so accountants aren’t notified.

“They are getting a few thousand dollars and are putting in deductions that the person wouldn’t be able to claim,” she explained.

“Then they’re getting the refunds and putting it in their bank accounts. One client was scammed and the person got her $5000 refund.”

Often, clients will only discover they’ve been scammed after Ms Mirams goes to file their tax returns for them and discovers it has already been filed.

“I’ve stopped it a couple of times. I’ve contacted the ATO, and then they mark the tax file number as compromised,” she said.

Ms Mirams explained she’s only able to stop the transaction if the ATO hasn’t already issued the refund.

She managed to stop one scam recently, but only because her client clicked on the link and then regretted it, contacting her.

“If we catch it we can stop it,” she said.

“If it has already gone through then there’s nothing we can do.”

The seasoned accountant warned that people need to be particularly cautious this tax season to avoid falling victim to scams.

They’re sophisticated and realistic-looking, and it can be easy not to think to verify emails if the ATO makes you nervous.

“They make it look so legit. The key is never follow a link from an email. If myGov is asking you to do something go onto myGov and do it that way,” she said.

“Don’t click on it. Call your tax agent or call the ATO.”

She said the scam issue has become a "plague". Picture: iStock

Ms Mirams said one of the problems that comes with being scammed is that often you’ll end up with a compromised tax number which is a “nightmare” to remedy.

In her experience, it also takes a long time for the ATO to sort it out because there’s “such a huge backlog” of scam victims at the moment.

The accountant said she is aware of the emails, not just because of her clients, but also because she has received scam emails on her personal accounts.

“It is scary,” she said.

The ATO advised that scams are becoming more complex. Picture: iStock

ATO responds to email scam

In a statement to news.com.au the ATO encouraged Aussies to “act quickly” if something feels wrong.

“The ATO’s advice to taxpayers who are questioning if an ATO interaction is legitimate or not is to check their account on our online services through myGov or the ATO app, speak to their registered tax professional if they have one, or phone us on 1800 008 540 to confirm the legitimacy of the interaction,” a spokesperson said.

“If they think the interaction is fraudulent, it can be reported by sending an email to [e-mail].”

The ATO explained that “impersonation scams continue to remain a risk to the community” and it is important to remain cautious.

“ATO and myGov themed email phishing scams, and variations of these, are some of the most commonly reported scams received from the community and are on the rise.

“Scammer methods continue to evolve and become more sophisticated, linking to fraudulent websites, designed to steal taxpayer information,” the statement reads.

The ATO also advised that it may contact taxpayers via SMS or email but it will “never send an unsolicited message containing a hyperlink to log on to online services” and all taxpayers should remain vigilant.

“Before giving anyone your personal information it is important to Stop, Check and Protect. Stop – Never share your myGov sign in details, and only share personal information such as your Tax File Number (TFN), or bank account details, if you trust the person and they genuinely require them.

“Check – Ask yourself if the message or call could be fake. Is it really the ATO contacting you? Protect – Act quickly if something feels wrong or you’ve noticed suspicious activity on your ATO accounts.”

Originally published as ‘Always makes my heart pound’: Scary ATO scam trend that has become a ‘plague’