Do you know that October 31 is the due date for either lodging your own tax return or contacting a registered tax agent?
Scammers are known to increase activity around tax time so make sure you know the status of your tax affairs. They’ve two main objectives - to get people to either pay money, or divulge personal identifying information, or sometimes both!
Jagjit Singh, Community Relations Officer, ATO said that people should be highly vigilant during this tax time.
“Be aware of what you share – don’t give out personal details such as your tax file number, date of birth, credit card or bank details, unless you know you can trust that the person you are dealing with is who they say they are, and they genuinely need those details,” he said.
“Scammers are becoming more sophisticated so sometimes it can be hard to know whether a communication is really from the ATO or a scam.
“If you are ever unsure about a request for information or the validity of an ATO interaction, call the ATO Scam Hotline on 1800 008 540.
“Remember, the ATO will never visit residential premises without an appointment or threaten you with arrest if you don’t pay a debt immediately.
Go to www.ato.gov.au/scamalerts to learn more about the latest tax scams.
