New scam alert!
In a recent twist in the ‘fake tax debt’ scam, the ATO have received increasing reports of a new scam method where scammers impersonate registered agents to lend legitimacy to their phone call.
The fraudsters do this by:
> coercing the victim into revealing their agent’s name
> initiating a three-way phone conversation between the scammer, the victim, and another scammer impersonating the victim’s registered agent or someone from the agent’s practice.
Victims have fallen for this new approach. In one recent example, a victim withdrew thousands of dollars in cash and deposited it into a Bitcoin ATM, fearing police had a warrant out for their arrest. The phone conversation with the scammers appeared legitimate, and the victim trusted the advice of the scammer ‘tax agent’.
To protect our client’s information and their money from these scammers please be aware that we will never:
> demand immediate payment over the phone
> threaten you with arrest
> request payment by unusual means such as iTunes vouchers, store gift cards or Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
If you are suspicious about a phone call from someone claiming to be us, we recommend you disconnect and call 1800 008 540 to verify the call.
Alternatively, please hang up on the caller and contact us directly on 08 8239 1143 to confirm the status of your tax affairs.