A surge in Australian tax scams is being premeditated as cyber criminals look to prey on unsuspecting victims.
Tax time can bring stress and confusion for individuals and businesses, as they prepare to file their returns with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), breeding the perfect environment for cyber criminals to obtain sensitive information.
In 2022-23 alone, the ATO reported receiving a staggering 19,843 scam allegations, with impersonations of the organisation being the most frequent during tax season.
These numbers are expected to increase unless people become more vigilant.
“There are certain times each year that pique cyber criminals’ interest and tax time is one of them,” APAC Managing Director at Norton, Mark Gorrie, said.
“With the amount of personal and financial information that is being stored and shared at this time, coupled with the stress that comes with filing tax returns, it is the perfect storm for scammers to target Australians.
“Tax time can be difficult to navigate, and it can be easy to fall into the palm of a scammer offering to ease this burden, but it is important to understand practicing online security should never be sacrificed in exchange for convenience.
“In the wake of greater sophistication and a rise in Artificial Intelligence that is aiding cyber criminals in evolving and developing their devious tactics, it is more important than ever Australians are continuing to educate themselves on the warning signs.”
The following is recommended to avoid falling victim to tax scams:
- Shred any documents containing personal information before they are thrown away.
- Ensure online accounts containing sensitive information are protected with strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
- Consider using robust security software to protect personal devices and information.
- If contacted via social media by a newly created unverified account, delete the message.
- Ignore any links believed to be a scam provided via email or text.
- Don’t provide payments, account log-in or other personal information, including to an unregistered practitioner.
- Check anyone claiming to be a tax preparer is registered on the Tax Practitioners Board at (www.tpb.gov.au/registrations_search).
If you are unsure about the validity of any ATO communication, contact the organisation directly via the phone number on its official website or a previous letter received to validate the request.
Anyone who suspects their tax file number and identity has been comprised should immediately report the incident to the ATO.
