Victoria Police is urging the community to be vigilant of scammers targeting myGov sign in details to commit tax fraud and impersonating well known Australian retailers online during end of financial year sales.
The force’s Cybercrime Squad see scammers attempt to fraudulently access linked government services every year during the rush to complete tax returns, before either generating fraudulent payments in the victim’s name, or redirecting tax refunds to be paid into their own accounts.
With consumers also scrolling online for end of year financial sales coinciding at the same time, scammers use fraudulent websites to impersonate genuine online retail stores belonging to many popular brands.
In the last year, police received 978 reports relating to tax fraud, with a total reported loss of $278 thousand dollars. These reports were then forwarded to the relevant government agency, such as the ATO, for further action.
During the same period, the Cybercrime Squad issued 20 myGov related phishing domain takedown requests.
There were also 303 reports relating to fake online stores, resulting in a loss of $729 thousand dollars.
The Cybercrime Squad works tirelessly to get scam websites removed – and in response to these reports issued takedown requests for 139 fake online store related websites.
It’s prompted a police warning for Victorians to be on alert for these scammers during this period and make a report if they fall victim.
Tax fraud:
Scammers use a variety of methods to compromise their victims’ identities, including sending phishing email and SMS scams to impersonate government agencies.
These scams can contain links to fake myGov websites. Victims will be prompted to enter their details, unknowingly giving criminals access to their genuine myGov accounts linked to their ATO accounts. Once they have access, scammers are able to pose as the victim in order to commit fraud.
Scammers will use the cover of events such as annual tax time to lure potential victims. Common phrases currently being used by scammers include:
- ‘You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund’
- ‘You have a new message in your myGov inbox – click here to view’
- ‘You need to update your details to allow your Tax return to be processed’
- ‘We need to verify your incoming tax deposit’
- ‘ATO Refund failed due to incorrect BSB/Account number’
- ‘Your income statement is ready, click on the link to view’
Once the offenders have gained access to an account, they are then able to pose as the victim in order to commit fraud.
End of financial year sale scams:
Scammers will often impersonate popular brands using the latest technology to create convincing fake websites using the brand’s logo, designs and layouts.
Generally, they’ll include a “.com.au” domain name, and likely the stolen ABN number of the business they are purporting to be.
They might also pay for their fraudulent website to appear at the top of an internet search or offer the same products as the genuine brand at a significantly lower price.
Steps Victorians can take to protect themselves:
The Cybercrime Squad urge the community to remain vigilant and actively follow the below advice to prevent falling victim to these scams:
- Never click on a hyperlink that has been texted or emailed. The ATO and myGov will never send you an SMS or email with a link to access online services – always access these directly by typing ato.gov.au(opens in a new window) or my.gov.au(opens in a new window) into your browser.
- Use a Digital ID or Passkey to sign into myGov is the strongest way to sign in and protect your account. If you can’t use a Digital ID or Passkey, you can set up another multi-factor authentication sign in option, such as SMS codes or an authenticator app.
If you suspect someone has stolen your tax file number or is using your tax information illegally, call the ATO on 1800 467 033. They will explain the safeguards that need to be applied to keep your ATO account safe.
Call Services Australia’s Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk on 1800 941 126 if you’ve:
- opened a link in a suspicious text message, email or social media message pretending to be from Services Australia or myGov.
- given someone your myGov sign in details or other personal information.
- visited a website or downloaded a fake app that that pretended to be Services Australia or myGov.
Report any suspicious contact claiming to be from Services Australia or myGov to [email protected]
There’s more information about myGov scams and what to do if you have been affected by one my.gov.au/scams
Scams that are not impersonating the ATO, myGov or a Services Australia brand can be reported to scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam. They also have further advice on spotting fake websites.
If you think you have been the victim of an online scam, contact your bank or card provider immediately to report the scam. They may be able to stop a transaction from going through.
If you have any information about a scam and wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential online report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au(opens in a new window)
Quotes attributable to Cybercrime Squad Detective Acting Inspector Carl Keenan:
“We’re encouraging everyone to be hypervigilant when it comes to scams such as these.
“Never click on a link sent to you that is purporting to be from the Australian Taxation Office or myGov – they will never ask you to access any online services via a link.
“Make sure you access your accounts through legitimate apps or via independent searches.
“Scammers are also creating websites which look almost identical to genuine brand websites, and they’re paying for their sites to appear at the top of an internet search.
“Always check that the website is secure. If you’re unsure, always type the full website URL into the address bar yourself.
“You should also be wary of sponsored ads either within a browser or on social media – if you find anything that doesn’t look right, don’t click on it, and always report it to the platform. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
“We encourage anyone who has been subject to scams such as these to speak to police.”
