Scammers are coming for your tax return
The criminals who lurk online have devious means of catching you off-guard at this time of year.
Keep Scam SAFE
Scammers are not just active around tax time. Sophisticated criminals have many ways to try to steal your money, and you need to stay one step ahead.
And National Seniors Australian (NSA) has your back.
For more information about keeping your funds secure and avoiding being scammed, visit our Keep Scam SAFE page for tips.
Australians are being urged to be wary of scam emails, SMS, and other communications as they prepare their tax.
Jenny Wong, from professional accounting body CPA Australia, says we should exercise caution when dealing with emails and text messages – especially those that are sent overnight with the aim of catching you off-guard early in the morning.
“Scammers take advantage of any situation, and at tax time that means targeting unsuspecting individuals through unsolicited messages claiming to be the ATO or another reputable organisation,” she said.
“These ‘phishing’ scams not only look legitimate, but they’re designed to catch you off-guard. That’s why you’ll often see them arrive first thing in the morning because you may be more likely to have a momentary lapse in judgement.
“The scammers know Australians will have tax on their mind and are vulnerable to prompts to act, which is why these messages usually create a sense of urgency or claim of significant refund.”
National Anti-Scam Centre statistics show a significant increase in scam losses in the first four months of 2025. The biggest increase in reported losses comes from phishing scams – where scammers impersonate government agencies and financial institutions – accounting for $13.7 million in losses, compared to $4.6 million in early 2024.
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) says impersonation email scams have increased by more than 300% from this time last year.
Scam emails seen by CPA Australia include titles such as, “Urgent new notification in your account inbox.” The messages claim to provide a secure link to the user’s MyGov inbox, but the link often leads instead to a phishing site.
Fake messages also use language such as “official government correspondence”, “update regarding your benefits”, and “new refund notification” or stress the need to click to “avoid being penalised”.
They even encourage recipients to “keep checking your inbox to stay informed about important updates related to your tax, pension and other government services”.
Distinguishing between legitimate and scam messages from the ATO is becoming increasingly difficult, but there are signs:
Look for any grammatical errors and unusual language. This could include American English spellings such as using ‘z’ instead of ‘s’ for certain words.
The ATO does not use hyperlinks in unsolicited SMS messages. If you see any links in an unsolicited SMS or any QR codes in a message claiming to be from the ATO, treat it as a scam.
When it comes to emails, check the sender’s address. Anything unusual is a red flag. If the address includes the acronym ATO or Australian Taxation Office in full, look for subtle anomalies like using a number, adding extra letters, or even removing a letter.
Be wary of anyone making unexpected requests for personal or financial information, especially if they claim it’s urgent. The ATO will never ask for passwords, account numbers, or other sensitive data by email or SMS.
If you see a social media account claiming to be the ATO or myGov, look for the official logo and profile verification, such as the blue tick on Facebook and Instagram or grey tick on X. The ATO will never discuss your personal ATO account on any social media platform, including private messages.
You can verify if the contact is legitimate by contacting the ATO on 1800 008 540 or by visiting the verify or report scam page on the official ATO website.
Photo by Markus Winkler
