Prevent Identity Crime
July 24, 2023
How do i protect myself from Identity Crime?
During tax time there is an increase in tax scams that take advantage of innocent taxpayers, some of the reported scams include scammers impersonating the ATO and Tax Agents, where they attempt to con thousands of dollars out of their victim’s. Fortunately, there are a few different ways that you can prevent being one of the scammer's victims.
You can protect yourself and others from Tax crime by following these five simple steps:
Know what personal info to protect
This includes your full name, date of birth, current address, bank account details, credit card details, tax file number, drivers’ licence, passport, and passwords. If this kind of information fell into the hands of a scammer they can use it to impersonate you.
Keep your personal info safe
Don’t carry your personal information around in a wallet, handbag or save it on a phone! Keep this information in a safe and secure place, also keep your virus protection current.
Personal information that is stolen can be extremely hard to get back – keep your info secure!
Personal information is easy for scammers to take and hard for you to get back – keep your info safe!
Be careful what you share on social media
Posting on social media sites is the norm these days, everyone loves a selfie.
But posting and sharing your personal information online puts yourself at risk of being targeted by a scammer. Make sure your profile is set to private and be overly cautious with which friend requests to accept.
Be suspicious of requests for personal information
Scammers are believable and may quote personal information to sound trustworthy. If you notice that you or someone you know have received a request for personal information, tell them to treat the request carefully as there is a high possibility that it may be a scam.
If you or someone you know is unsure, it’s okay to hang up the phone and call us on 07 3881 0942 or call the ATO’s scam line on 1800 008 540 to confirm.
Know legitimate ways to make payments
Scammers tend to trick their victims into paying false debts with threatening tactics, and they tend to ask for this money to be paid by using pre-paid gift cards, or by sending money to random bank accounts. You can check the legitimacy of a payment method at ato.gov.au/howtopay.
If you are ever suspicious of a phone call, text, email or letter contact us immediately on 07 3881 0942 or you can call the ATO’s dedicated scam line on 1800 008 540.
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Note that the information provided is general in nature and subject to change, please contact one of our professionals who can evaluate your circumstances and provide more accurate advice to your current situation.
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