This Scams Awareness Week, detectives from the Cybercrime Squad are urging Victorians to be vigilant of scammers targeting myGov sign in details to commit tax fraud.
Scammers are attempting to fraudulently access linked government services during the annual 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.
Since June 30 of this year, Victoria Police has received over 300 reports, with a total reported loss of at least $2M so far.
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 will often change phone and email contact details which can prevent the real user from receiving any notifications. They will then amend a tax return or other government payment, redirecting the funds to be paid into their own account.
