Story: You get a phone call. The caller says they’re from the ATO. They want you to pay a debt (which you know nothing about), or are asking for your personal details.
But it doesn’t seem quite right. Maybe the caller:
- is aggressive
- threatens that if you don’t pay you will be arrested and sent to jail, or
- tries to make you call another number outside normal business hours.
Or maybe you have received an email or SMS offering you a tax refund or asking for personal details, but it just smells wrong.
What to do if you think it is a scam?
You need to check it out.
If you get a phone call, ask the caller for:
- their full name and extension number
- their team leader’s full name and extension number.
You can the ATO on 1800 008 540 to verify that the caller is from the ATO.