The Australian Taxation Office has warned the public to beware of scammers who contact taxpayers claiming to be from the ATO and seeking repayment of tax debts through cryptocurrencies.
Assistant commissioner Kath Anderson said there had been a spate of reports recently identifying fraudsters who had used this method to cheat people in the latter part of 2017.
“We became aware of scammers seeking payment in bitcoin last year. So far we have seen over $50,000 paid in bitcoin to scammers claiming fake ATO tax debts,” she said.
“Cryptocurrency operates in a virtual world, and once the scammers receive payment, it’s virtually impossible to get it back.
{loadposition sam08}“Scammers are constantly adapting their methods to maximise their chances of picking your pocket. Unfortunately it was inevitable that scammers would target cryptocurrency given its current popularity and anonymity.”
The ATO said, at the same time, people should also beware of the more traditional cheats who tried to make people pay out claimed tax debts by direct deposit, pre-paid VISA gift cards or iTunes gift cards.
“In 2017, the ATO received over 80,000 reports of scams, with taxpayers reporting almost $2.4 million lost to scammers claiming to be from the ATO,” Anderson said.
“Over $900,000 worth of iTunes gift cards were reportedly paid to scammers – by almost one third of all victims. We are hoping that the new warnings Apple is including on their gift cards will help people realise the ATO doesn’t accept payment in iTunes cards.
“Even more concerning at the moment is that more than half of all losses are a result of scammers convincing taxpayers to make deposits or transfers directly into third-party bank accounts. Roughly $1.2 million was reported lost in this way in 2017.”
Anderson said the ATO was also concerned about taxpayers being tricked into giving their tax file numbers and other personal information to scammers.
“Remember, your personal information is like the keys to your identity – guard it carefully. And if you think you’ve been scammed or would like to confirm the legitimacy of an ATO call or letter, phone us on 1800 008 540," she said.
“If you receive a phone call out of the blue, threatening police or legal action if you don’t pay a debt, or the person calling you is rude and aggressive, hang up, it won’t be the ATO. Any call-back number provided should be checked via an independent Internet search to ensure you are calling the ATO.”