Learn how to stay scam safe this tax time.
As a business owner, it’s important to keep your employees, customers and yourself safe from scams. Fall victim to a scammer and the consequences could be significant.
ATO impersonation email scam reports have increased by over 300% from this time last year. At tax time we generally see more scam reports as scammers know this is when you expect to hear from us.
Scammers send fake messages trying to trick people into handing over personal information. Once they have your details, they can steal your identity and commit fraud in your name. They know you’re busy and probably distracted wrapping up end of financial year, so they’ll ask you to respond quickly hoping you don’t verify the interaction.
Use these 3 simple steps to protect yourself against scammers this tax time:
- Stop: Never share your MyID or ATO online services login. Only share personal information, such as your tax file number (TFN) or bank account details, if you trust the person and they genuinely need them. If in doubt, don’t disclose anything.
- Check: Take a sec to check. Ask yourself could it be fake? Is it really the ATO? If a link or QR code is directing you to provide information or to log into an online portal DON’T click on it!
- Protect: If something doesn’t feel right or you notice unusual activity, act quickly.
And remember:
- the ATO may send you an SMS or email asking you to contact them, but they’ll NEVER send an unsolicited message with a link asking you to return personal information or log into their online services.
- the ATO has a Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn account, but they’ll NEVER use these platforms to ask you to provide personal information, documentation or for payments.
Recovering from identity theft is stressful and can impact your business’s operations and reputation.
If something feels off, don’t engage with it – visit Verify or report a scam or call 1800 008 540 for confirmation. Learn more at ato.gov.au/scamsafe.
Source: ato.gov.au June 2025
Reproduced with the permission of the Australian Tax Office. This article was originally published on https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/small-business-newsroom/scam-emails-real-consequences.
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