August 29th 2024.
Authorities are warning the public to stay vigilant as reports show that $2 million has been lost to myGov Tax scams in Victoria since June 30. The Cybercrime Squad has revealed that scammers are using fraudulent methods to access government services through myGov, including the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) accounts, during tax season.
These scammers have been found to either generate fraudulent payments under the victim's name or divert tax refunds into their own accounts. Since June 30, there have been over 300 reports made to the Victoria Police, with a staggering $2 million already lost to these scams.
Among the reported cases, 180 were related to payment redirection, 66 involved unauthorized access to online accounts, 48 were impersonation scams through SMS, and 15 were identity takeovers through myGov. These scammers are using various methods to gain access to accounts, such as sending phishing emails and SMS scams with links to fake myGov websites.
Once on the fake site, victims are prompted to enter their personal details, unknowingly giving scammers access to their legitimate myGov accounts. The scammers then change the phone number and email associated with the account, making it impossible for victims to receive any genuine notifications from myGov.
Have you been a victim of a myGov scam? Share your experience with reporter Maddison Leach here. Some of the phrases used by these 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," and "Your income statement is ready, click on the link to view."
Detective Senior Sergeant John Cheyne from the Cybercrime Squad emphasizes the importance of staying vigilant and proactive in fighting against these scams. "We urge everyone to be hypervigilant when it comes to scams like these," he stated. He also advises the public to never click on any links claiming to be from the ATO or myGov, as these agencies will never ask for access through a link.
He also recommends conducting a bi-yearly check of accounts to ensure no unauthorized changes have been made throughout the year. This could include checking credit scores or logging into myGov accounts to verify any activity. If anyone suspects that their tax information or personal identity documents have been stolen, they should contact the ATO immediately at 1800 467 033.
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