The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and Services Australia are warning the community about a new email impersonation scam doing the rounds.
Assistant Taxation Commissioner, Ben Foster said the fake emails claimed to be from myGov and included screen shots of the myGovID app.
“The email asks people to click a link to verify their identity using a ‘secure form’ which takes them to a fake myGov page requesting personal identifying information and banking details,” Mr Foster said.
“myGovID is an app that can be used to prove who you are when accessing Government online services,” he said.
“ATO systems, myGov and myGovID have not been compromised.”
Mr Foster said the new phishing scam contained classic warning signs that it wasn’t legitimate, including requests for people to click a link to confirm their details and spelling errors.
The Assistant Commissioner said the ATO and myGov did send emails and SMS messages however, they would never send one with a hyperlink which directed people to a login page for online services.
“In the lead up to tax time, we expect to see more of these malicious attempts to harvest identity details,” he said.
“So, we encourage everyone to be on alert and take the time to remind family and friends to be on the lookout and stay safe online.”
Mr Foster confirmed the scam was all about collecting personal information from victims rather than gaining access to live information via myGov or myGovID.
General Manager of Services Australia, Hank Jongen said scams were becoming more sophisticated and people should be wary of emails which asked for identity documents or identifying information.
“If you’ve opened an email that looks suspicious, don’t click any links, open any attachments or reply to it,” Mr Jongen said.
“If you’ve received the suspicious email and provided your myGov sign in information you should take immediate action,” he said.
Mr Jongen said people who’d supplied information in response to the suspicious emails should change their myGov password and, if they provided banking details, contact their bank.
“If you’re still concerned and require extra support you can call Services Australia’s Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk on 1800 941 126,” he said.
Mr Jongen said the Helpdesk was open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm AEST.
