ATO Scam: How to Spot Fake Tax Office Calls, Texts and Emails

An ATO scam is a call, text, email or social media message from criminals pretending to be the Australian Taxation Office, usually saying you owe a tax debt and face arrest, or that you’re due a refund if you log in through a link. The real ATO won’t threaten immediate arrest, demand payment by gift card or crypto, or ask you to pay into a personal bank account. If you’re unsure, don’t reply or click: log in to your myGov account yourself, where genuine ATO messages appear, or contact the ATO using details on its official website.

These scams work because tax is serious and most people don’t know exactly what they owe at any moment. Scammers may already know your name, address or employer. That doesn’t make the contact real. If you’ve paid or shared details, you’re not foolish; ATO impersonation is run by organized groups who target people at every level of experience, and there are clear steps to take now.

How the real ATO contacts you

The ATO publishes guidance on how to verify whether contact is genuine, and it’s worth checking whenever something feels off. In general terms, it describes these points:

• myGov is where official messages land. The ATO sends many letters and messages to your myGov Inbox, and your tax account is reached by signing in to myGov yourself, not through a link someone sends you.
• It has said it no longer includes links in its unsolicited texts and emails. A text or email that asks you to tap a link to log in, claim a refund or update details should be treated as suspicious.
• It doesn’t threaten immediate arrest, deportation or cancelling your visa over a tax debt.
• It doesn’t ask for payment by gift card, crypto or transfer into a personal account. Genuine payment options are listed on the ATO’s official website.
• It doesn’t ask you to send a fee to receive a refund.

The ATO does call, write and send messages, for example about a debt or your return. So the safest habit is “I’ll check this myself”. End the contact, then sign in to myGov or contact the ATO using the details on its official website, and ask whether the contact was real.

Common versions of the ATO scam

Version	How it usually looks
Tax debt threat call	A caller or robocall says you owe tax and the police will arrest you today unless you pay, often with a spoofed caller ID.
Refund text or email	A message says you’re due a refund and links to a fake myGov or ATO login page.
Fake myGov sign-in page	A copy of the myGov login screen, reached through a link or a search ad, that steals your username, password and one-time code.
Tax file number “suspended”	A caller says your tax file number has been compromised or used in a crime and asks you to confirm details or move money.
Social media and messaging accounts	An account using ATO branding offers help with a refund or debt, then asks for personal details or a fee.
Fake tax agents	Someone who isn’t a registered tax agent offers a big refund, asks for your myGov login, and changes the bank account the refund goes to.

Scam volumes typically rise at tax time, after the financial year ends on June 30, when people are expecting to deal with the ATO anyway. US readers facing the same pattern with the IRS can see our guide to IRS scams. Some callers pose as your bank’s fraud team instead, and our ANZ scam guide covers that version.

Warning signs of an ATO scam

• Threats of arrest, police or visa cancellation, all “today”.
• A link in a text or email to log in, claim a refund or verify your identity.
• Unusual payment methods: gift cards, crypto, prepaid cards or a transfer to a personal account.
• Requests for your myGov password, one-time codes or tax file number over the phone or by message.
• Instructions to stay on the line while you go to a store or bank, or not to tell anyone.
• A refund you weren’t expecting that needs a fee or card details first.
• Caller ID that looks official. It can be spoofed. Our guide to vishing explains how, and the Telstra scam uses the same trick.

What to do right now

1. End the contact. Hang up, don’t reply to the message and don’t click links or open attachments.
2. Check your tax position yourself. Type the myGov address into your browser or use the official app, sign in, and look at your ATO account and myGov Inbox. If nothing there matches what you were told, you have your answer.
3. If you paid, call your bank straight away using the number on your card or in your banking app, and ask it to stop or recall the payment.
4. If you entered your myGov login, change your password and check your sign-in options straight away, then look for changes to your contact details, bank account or linked services.
5. If you shared your tax file number or ID documents, contact the ATO through the details on its official website. It explains how to report a compromised tax file number and can add protections to your account.
6. Get identity support. IDCARE, Australia and New Zealand’s not-for-profit identity and cyber support service, can help you work out which accounts and documents to protect.
7. Save the evidence: the phone number, messages, web addresses, screenshots and receipts.

Where to report an ATO scam

• The ATO: its official website explains how to report ATO impersonation and how to verify or report a suspicious call, text or email. Use those instructions rather than any contact details in the scam message.
• Scamwatch: report the scam to Scamwatch, run by the National Anti-Scam Centre, which uses reports to warn the public and disrupt scams. Our guide on how to report a scam to Scamwatch walks through it.
• ReportCyber: if you lost money or your identity details through an online scam, such as a fake myGov page, report it through ReportCyber, the Australian Government’s online cybercrime reporting service.
• Social media: report fake ATO accounts through the platform’s reporting tool.

For all the reporting routes in one place, including other countries, see our guide on how to report a scammer.

Can you get your money back?

It depends on how you paid and how fast you act.

• Card payments: ask your bank about a chargeback or fraud claim as soon as possible.
• Bank transfers: your bank can try to recall the money. This works only sometimes, and usually only if you’re very quick.
• Gift cards and crypto: contact the issuer or exchange immediately, but these payments are often impossible to reverse.
• If your bank says no: complain to the bank first, then take it to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), which is free.

If you get a follow-up call from someone offering to recover your money for a fee, sometimes posing as the ATO, the police or a law firm, hang up. These are recovery scams. Government agencies don’t charge you to get stolen money back.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real case. Daniel, a nurse on a working visa, gets a call during his lunch break. The caller says he’s from the ATO, that Daniel has an unpaid tax debt from last year, and that the police will come to his workplace this afternoon unless he pays now. He’s told his visa could be cancelled and that he mustn’t hang up.

1. Daniel is frightened, but the caller then says he can settle the debt with gift cards from a nearby supermarket. That doesn’t sound like a government agency.
2. He says his break is over and hangs up. The caller rings back twice; he doesn’t answer.
3. He signs in to myGov himself and checks his ATO account. There’s no debt and no message in his inbox.
4. He follows the ATO website’s instructions for reporting an impersonation call and files a report with Scamwatch.
5. He tells his colleagues, since callers sometimes target the same workplace or visa group.

Daniel lost nothing because he stopped to check. If he had bought the gift cards, contacting the card company immediately with the card numbers and receipts would have been his best chance.

How to protect yourself next time

• Treat myGov as your source of truth. Sign in directly to check any ATO claim.
• Strengthen your myGov sign-in with the most secure option available to you, such as a passkey or an authenticator, and never share codes.
• Don’t search for “myGov login” and click the first ad. Type the address yourself or use a bookmark.
• Use a registered tax agent and never give anyone your myGov password.
• Be extra alert at tax time, when scam messages tend to peak.
• Talk to family and friends, especially older relatives, students and people new to Australia, who are often targeted with arrest and visa threats.

Scammers sometimes borrow the names of real accountants and tax agents. If your practice is being impersonated and complaints are appearing when people search for you, our personal reputation management team can help you understand what’s showing up and what can be corrected.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Calling back the number that called you or one in a message. Use contact details from the ATO’s official website.
• Trusting caller ID or a convincing login page. Both are easy to fake.
• Ignoring genuine ATO letters out of fear. Check them in myGov, then respond or talk to a registered tax agent.
• Deleting the message before reporting it. Screenshot it first.
• Waiting before calling your bank. Speed gives the best chance of stopping a payment.

Frequently asked questions

Does the ATO send text messages?

The ATO does send some texts and emails, but it has said it no longer includes links in its unsolicited messages. A text asking you to tap a link to log in or claim a refund should be treated as a scam. Check your account by signing in to myGov yourself.

Will the ATO call me and threaten arrest?

No. The ATO doesn’t threaten immediate arrest or visa cancellation, or demand payment by gift card, crypto or a transfer to a personal account. Hang up and check your account in myGov.

How do I check if ATO contact is genuine?

Don’t use any contact details in the message. Sign in to myGov and check your ATO account and inbox, or contact the ATO using details from its official website and ask it to verify the contact.

What should I do if I gave a scammer my tax file number?

Contact the ATO through its official website to report that your tax file number may be compromised, secure your myGov account, and contact IDCARE for free identity support. Report the scam to Scamwatch too.