I've had 2 phone calls from someone ( sounds Indian ) from the ATO saying I have a problem and I will be fined if I don't take immediate action.....when I ask for name and a reference number, they hang up ??
From the ATO website. Sounds like you got scam #2.
Phone scamsFrom time to time we may contact you by phone, but you should be wary of unsolicited phone calls claiming to be from the ATO and offering you a tax refund. Increasingly, we are seeing these scams using names and addresses that have some correlation to actual ATO officers and buildings. We advise taxpayers to be vigilant when receiving phone calls of this nature.
If in doubt about the authenticity of a call that you receive from the ATO, you can call us on phone us 13 28 61.
Below are examples of recent phone scams.
Example 1You receive a call from a person saying they are from the ATO. The person may say a letter has been sent to advise you of this phone call, and that the call is to discuss a scheme to reduce your tax for retirement. The person will say they are going to send someone around to discuss your situation and ask questions about your occupation, your assets or whether you have a financial planner or accountant. They may already know your address.
No contact information or reference number is provided.
Key indicators of this scam:
Cold calling (unsolicited calls)
The caller may be pushy to book an appointment, and advise that there are ATO representatives in your neighbourhood now
You are asked questions about your financial situation and other personal information that could be used to steal your identity
The caller advises of ‘schemes’ to help reduce your tax and offers to provide financial advice.
Example 2You are called on either your private home or mobile number by a person claiming to be from the ATO. You are told that due to ’errors’ on your tax return, a warrant has been issued for your arrest and the police will be called unless you attend the local post office and make an immediate payment. A variation of this scam asks you to purchase a ‘Load and Go’ card.
Key indicators of this scam:
Cold calling (unsolicited call)
You are advised that there is a warrant for your arrest
The callers use an aggressive tone
You are asked to make a payment without having received any prior advice or correspondence from the ATO
You are asked to make a payment without being provided with a personal payment slip.
Example 3You are called on either your private home or mobile number by a person claiming to be from the ATO. They say that you have been chosen to receive a business grant from the federal government (amount can vary). You are told you need to phone a specific number straight away to organise the process to collect the grant.
Key indicators of this scam:
Cold calling (unsolicited calls).
The caller advises that you have been chosen for a business grant.
You are asked to phone to organise the collection of the grant. When phoning, you will likely be asked for personal information, including financial details, or requested to pay an amount to have the money released. You may also be asked to provide other personal information that could be used to steal your identity.
The caller provides details which may be similar to actual ATO officer details or addresses – however, the street name may be spelt incorrectly, or the wrong postcode is provided with the address.
Example 4You are called on either your private home or mobile number by a person claiming to be from the ATO. They say that you are owed a tax refund of around $3,000 (could be any amount) and that you need to make a money transfer to an Indian orphanage or other charity of around $150 in order to receive your refund.
Generally, they provide a NSW phone number to contact the ‘ATO’ once you have completed the transfer. The scammers sometimes quote personal information, such as address and date of birth, during the conversation to show authenticity, and also often have several private contact numbers for you.
Key indicators of this scam:
Cold calling (unsolicited calls)
The caller advises that you have an unclaimed refund
You are asked to pay a sum of money to a third party in order to receive the refund
The payment must be made through a money transfer
The return phone number is a NSW number rather than a national 1300 number.
Example 5You receive a call from a person saying that they are from 'The Tax Office's Australian Government Grants Department'. The person asks to clarify your name and address and says you will receive a cheque for $5,200, hand delivered the next day. In order to get this cheque, you need to call a phone number to confirm eligibility.
Key indicators of this scam:
Cold calling (unsolicited calls)
The caller advises that you will receive this money as they have 'unclaimed taxes' and/or they 'pay tax frequently'
All the call centre operatives refer to themselves as 'Harry'
You call the number provided and are asked to go to Australia Post and complete a 'Yellow Form' (presumably an International Money order) and call them back to provide a 10-digit confirmation number from the form
You must attach $99 and address the form to 'Australian Government - Veerendra Kumar, Bareilly, India'.
