LOCAL RESIDENTS WARNED OVER TAXATION SCAM
April 2, 2013
Gippsland residents are being targeted in a bogus Australian Taxation Office (ATO) scam according to The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester.
Mr Chester’s office has received reports from local residents who have been contacted via telephone by people posing as ATO officials offering to reimburse taxes in the order of $5000 if a deposit of around $100 is made through Australia Post.
Mr Chester said anyone who received a call relating to ATO reimbursement should hang up immediately and report it to SCAMwatch.
“These callers mislead local residents and deliberately target the elderly in our community to try and dupe them out of their money,” Mr Chester said.
“If anyone does receive a phone call offering an extraordinary refund from the ATO they should hang up and report it to SCAMwatch immediately.”
Mr Chester said ATO refund scams were also currently circulating via email.
“There are emails offering refunds which link to a bogus website asking for personal and credit card details,” Mr Chester said.
“The ATO will never email you seeking personal or credit card details and you should never provide this information.”
SCAMwatch can be contacted online by logging on to www.scamwatch.gov.au or by phone on 1300 795 995.