The Tax Office is warning people to be wary of a fraudulent email being circulated that claims to offer a refund from the Tax Office.
The email uses the Tax Office logo and the words ‘Tax refund online!’ in the subject heading and the following text:
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Tax refund online! After the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of AUD 452. Please submit the tax refund and allow us 2-5 business days in order to process it. |
There may be more variations to this subject heading and text.
The email asks people to click on a link which directs them to a bogus Tax Office website and asks for credit card and personal details.
Tax Commissioner Michael D’Ascenzo said anyone who receives the email should delete it immediately.
“The Tax Office never sends emails asking people to provide personal information including credit card details.
“People should always be wary of unsolicited emails claiming to be from the Tax Office.
“As an extra precaution we recommend you type internet addresses directly into your internet browser rather than clicking on links embedded in emails,” Mr D’Ascenzo said.
These websites are often set up in multiple jurisdictions making them difficult to trace and to effectively shut them down.
If people have entered their credit card information on the website, they should immediately report it to their credit card provider.
More information on online security is available here.