The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has released an alert in regards to a new scam that is currently doing the rounds.
Scammers are contacting their victims by phone, where an automated message then claims your tax file number (TFN) has been suspended due to illegal activity. The message then instructs victims that they need to pay a fine to release their TFN or transfer all their bank funds into a holding account to protect it from future misuse.
The ATO have reported that they are seeing a concerning rise in reports of people losing money due to this current scam. They want to advise the public that they don’t suspend TFNs and will never ask you to pay a fine or transfer money in order to protect it.
Should you receive one of these calls hang up, do not follow the prompts, don’t call them back and report it.
If you’re unsure whether an ATO contact is genuine, you can contact them on 1800 008 540 to check or visit the ATO scam alerts page to find out more: http://www.ato.gov.au/…/identity-security/scam-alerts/
