With the new financial year on the horizon, people are being warned about the danger of tax-specific scams.
Tax time can bring stress and confusion to individuals and businesses as they prepare to file their returns with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), and online security experts say it’s the perfect environment for cyber criminals who seek to take advantage of the time and try to obtain sensitive information to cause financial harm to unsuspecting victims.
“There are certain times each year that pique cybercriminals’ interest and tax time continues to be one of them,” said Mark Gorrie from cyber safety brand Norton.
“With the amount of personal and financial information that is being stored and shared at this time, coupled with the stress that comes with filing tax returns, it is the perfect storm for scammers to target Australians.”
Mr Gorrie said many scammers target people by offering to ease the burden of tax time and make the process quick and easier, while also promising bigger returns.
ATO impersonations and tax related identity theft are other common scams at tax time.
He recommended keeping tax-file numbers and mygov details safe and checking a tax preparer’s credentials with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) as ways to guard against these scams.
People are also advised to ignore any urgent threats or warnings of arrest purporting to be from the ATO or other authorities.
