An SMS phishing scam disguised as being from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is targeting Australians.
The scam is sent as a text telling recipients they are owed an income tax repayment. The recipients are redirected to a fake page disguised as the ATO, which advises them to share their personal information, including credit card details.
Government authorities including the ATO and AFSA will never ask you to provide personal information via SMS to claim refunds or transfers.
In some instances, the scams are using myID branding – the digital identification service used by Australian government agencies including AFSA.
If you receive text messages from a number claiming to be a government authority, do not click on any links, open attachments, download files or provide personal information.
To report a scam via AFSA’s website, visit Report an AFSA impersonation scam.
To verify or report a scam via ATO’s website, visit Verify or report a scam
