Cassandra Cross, Queensland University of Technology
For many, tax time is an exciting part of the year – there’s the potential for a refund. However, it’s also an attractive time for fraudsters looking for ways to get money and deceive unsuspecting victims.
Each year Australians lose large amounts of money to scams. In 2023, Australians reported losses of more than $2.7 billion. While this is a slight reduction from the $3.1 billion in 2022, there are still millions of victims who’ve suffered at the hands of scammers.
Impersonation scams are one common approach. Scamwatch reports that in 2023, 70 per cent of reports to them involved impersonation.
A large number of these were linked to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and myGov.
What is an impersonation scam?
Impersonation scams are what they sound like: when an offender pretends to be someone or something they are not. Offenders may pretend to be family members or friends in our contact lists.
In many cases, they will say they’re from an organisation such as a bank or a well-known retailer, or a government department – like the ATO.
Offenders take on the identity of a known and trusted organisation to increase the chances of success. While we may ignore communications from unknown entities and strangers, we’re more likely to engage with what’s familiar.
Additionally, the ATO has a powerful status as a government agency, and we are unlikely to ignore its messages – especially at tax time.
What are they trying to get out of my myGov account?
myGov is the gateway to a range of government services, including Medicare, Centrelink, My Health Record, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and, of course, the ATO.
Being able to log in to myGov gives offenders access to a wide range of your personal details. This can help them build a fuller profile of you to potentially commit identity theft (such as opening new accounts in your name).
There’s also the potential for direct fraud. With access to myGov, offenders can change your bank account details and redirect any refunds into their accounts, whether from the ATO or other linked services.
They can even submit false tax returns, medical claims or other forms to obtain fraudulent funds. As the legitimate owner of the account, you may not immediately notice this.
![A phone screen showing an email from myGov.](https://images.theconversation.com/files/611061/original/file-20240802-17-64b482.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip)
What does a myGov scam look like?
In most instances, a myGov scam will look like one of the many phishing attempts we all receive daily. While each approach can be worded differently, their desired outcome is the same: to acquire your personal information.
Fraudsters are sending text messages and emails pretending to be from the ATO, advising you there’s a refund available if you click the provided link.
Another approach is to flag a ‘problem’ with your tax return or bank account, and direct you to take immediate action via a link. Creating a sense of urgency can trick users into acting in the moment, without thinking through the request.
The text or email may also be very neutral, simply stating there’s a new message waiting – with a link to where you can read it.
Regardless of what the message says, the goal is to direct you to a website that looks genuine, but is fake. If you enter your myGov details into such a fake site, the offender can capture your login details and use them to log into your actual myGov account.
What to do if you’ve been a victim?
If you have clicked on a scam link and provided your personal details, there are steps you can take.
Change your password and review your account settings if you still have access to your myGov account.
Check your bank accounts to see what, if anything, has been lost. Contact your bank or financial institution immediately if you notice any withdrawals or suspicious transactions.
Contact any other organisation linked to your myGov account to see if any unauthorised actions have been taken.
For anyone who has lost personal information and experienced identity crime, IDCARE is the national support centre for identity crime victims. They will be able to assist with a personalised response plan to your specific situation.
How do I keep my account safe?
Never click on links in text messages or emails that direct you to log in to your accounts. Always access your accounts independently, through details you have found independently of any text or email.
Review your security settings. There have been recent reports of people’s myGov accounts being targeted with repeated login attempts. Using your unique eight-digit myGov username for logging in can be safer than using your email address.
Enable multi-factor authentication where possible. myGov uses two-factor authentication in the form of a text message in addition to an online login. While this is not foolproof, it offers an additional layer of protection and can stop offenders accessing your account with only partial pieces of your information.
Be vigilant on all communications. Always keep in mind that all may not be what it seems and the person you are communicating with may not be who they say they are. It is okay to be sceptical and do your own checks to verify details of what is presented to you.
Remember, fraudsters thrive on the silence and shame of those who respond or fall victim to their scams. We need to communicate openly about these schemes and talk to family and friends, to increase everyone’s knowledge and awareness.
Cassandra Cross, Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching) Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, Queensland University of Technology
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.
Do you use the myGov app? Have you noticed an uptick in scam attempts? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: How to pay your tax if you are on Centrelink payments
I have Filters on my Emails to direct them to the correct Folders.
Here are the 24 Scam ATO/myGOV emails that have been filtered out since the end of May:-
Last Week
AU_Income Tax Desk Review Now Sat 3/08/2024 13:28 8…
Australian Income Exchange Refundable Tax Offset! ATO Ref#303329 Thu 1/08/2024 11:40 5…
Australian Trustee Assessment Tax Assessment For Income Earned! Thu 1/08/2024 02:06 5…
AU Regulatory Compliance Urgent: Log In to Confirm Your Tax Details Tue 30/07/2024 04:46 5…
Tax Assessment Act Prepaid Income Tax Assessment Act! ATO Ref#… Tue 30/07/2024 02:47 5…
Two Weeks Ago
Australian Invoice Statement Prepaid tax based on estimated income! Sun 28/07/2024 07:58 4…
Australian E-Lodgement Appraisal Prepaid tax based on estimated income! Sun 28/07/2024 07:30 5…
AU C0MM0NWEALTH WORKF0RCE Fri 26/07/2024 20:54 6…
Aussie Assessable Tax Electronic Lodgment Service! Thu 25/07/2024 21:25 5…
Aussie Assessable Income Electronic Lodgment Service! Thu 25/07/2024 18:23 5…
Aussie Income Assessment Electronic Lodgment Service! Thu 25/07/2024 14:40 5…
AU N0TICE REF- #UH28310932457HP Thu 25/07/2024 11:28 5…
Three Weeks Ago
myGov New myGov inbox message Fri 19/07/2024 14:21 7…
Australian Tax Office Msg Taxx-Information Thu 18/07/2024 13:48 5…
Australian Tax Withholding Review Lodgement! Wed 17/07/2024 08:32 5…
myG0V Review Your Porccesed Income Statements Mon 15/07/2024 16:54 7…
Last Month
Australian Tax Authentication Online Msg! Sat 13/07/2024 10:31 5…
Australian Income Authentication New Refund Msg! ATO Ref#32099 Sat 13/07/2024 09:45 5…
Aussie Income Statement REVIEW! ATO Ref#30339 Sat 13/07/2024 05:46 5…
myGov-IT MyGov Gordon.nussey information required Tic… Sun 7/07/2024 15:46 2…
Older
Australian Taxation Message(ato) my.GOV Sat 29/06/2024 21:23 4…
AUSTRALIAN TAXATI0N REP0RTs myGov Fri 7/06/2024 09:08 5…
Australian Taxation Office JUNE 7… TAX REFUND Thu 6/06/2024 21:01 5…
myGov IMPORTANT INFORMATION! Sat 25/05/2024 10:37 5…
Therefore be careful and be vigilant and do not open any suspect emails, and if you do, DO NOT click on ANY LINKS.
I get multiple email scams each day and Gmail always put them in the junk file. However someone has tried to log into my MyGov account as I got a legitimate email from MyGov that the account had been locked due to recent activity – not me. I suspect the recent data breach of Medibank and one other company might have some of my data out there fro them to try logging on to MyGov – not sure why as there is no $’s to be got from MyGov. Today 5 emails from people with a fake Green Invoice to pay – idiots sent it out to hundreds of email addresses and left them showing under BCC on the email so it is obviously a scam.