Fake Tax Agent Phone Scam
It has recently been reported by the ATO that a new impersonation scam is about.
The scammer initiates a three-way conversation between themselves, the victim and another scammer pretending to be the victim’s tax agent.
Example
The scammer leaves a voicemail for the victim advising that if they do not contact the ATO due to an outstanding debt that they will face up to five years jail time.
The victim calls the number back and is advised they need to pay $9,000 straight away, as the federal police were involved in their case and they would face jail time.
The victim provided the scammer with their tax agents phone number and the scammer dialed in the other scammer via a three-way conference call.
The person claimed that the victim’s tax agent was unavailable but that they were from the same practice and could assist.
The ‘tax agent’ advised that there was an error with the victim’s tax return and he was required to pay the $9,000 at a specific location on the same day – the victim withdrew the cash and deposited it into a Bitcoin machine.
If you receive a call like the example above, hang up immediately and call us on (07) 3881 3029 to confirm whether it was one of our tax agents.
You can also phone the ATO on 1800 008 540 to check whether the call was legitimate and to report a scam.