The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has issued a warning to taxpayers to beware of people impersonating tax agents promising tax refunds too good to be true or discounted services well below the rates charged by registered agents.
Assistant Taxation Commissioner, Karen Foat said unregistered preparers posed a threat to vulnerable taxpayers and risked the reputation of registered tax agents.
“They pretend to offer legitimate services to the community but in reality they pose a serious threat, not only to the people that use them, but to the broader community and the tax system as a whole,” Ms Foat said.
She said the ATO had seen too many instances where people had unwittingly used an unregistered preparer which had resulted in a significant tax debt and loss of money.
“We also see instances where people do not receive their refund, or where fraudulent claims are lodged in their name without their knowledge,” Ms Foat said.
“Unregistered preparers often use a taxpayer’s personal login details to access their ATO Online account through myGov to lodge tax returns,” she said.
“A legitimate tax practitioner will never ask for your myGov credentials — they use dedicated ATO online services to lodge returns for their clients.”
Ms Foat said the ATO was working closely with the Taxation Practitioners Board as well as law enforcement Agencies throughout Australia, to identify and put a stop to unregistered preparers.
