Don't get scammed!

Don't get scammed!

Just to top off our year- we have to remain vigilant around being scammed about fake COVID Government payments and/or debts.

Looking at the ATO website they have an extensive list of the type of scams we may experience, what we should do and how we should report these scams.

How can you tell the difference between a scam and a legitimate message from the ATO? The ATO can contact you via email or SMS, however they would never ask for ID through these methods for you to receive any sort of refund or funds. If you receive a message asking for ID- do not reply and report it to the ATO scam alerts: 

Contact the ATO to confirm the message- 1800 008 540 or report it to:

The ATO have stated that they are working with several government agencies to combat the rise of scams occurring at the moment- highlighting COVID. So it is important to report anything suspicious so we can stop this from happening to someone else. 


There are also several ways you can protect yourself and your business from these scams that can help to minimise damage (financial and emotional). 

  1. Make sure your antivirus software is up to date
  2. Do not use a hyperlink from a SMS or email. Only ever  access government websites by logging in into your My Gov account
  3. Exercise extreme caution when identifying yourself online- ensure it is a safe website
  4. Educate your family and staff about scams and the correct procedures to respond to government correspondence

If you remain vigilant with scams and you feel uneasy about something that has been sent to you, then do not take action until you have spoken to the ATO first, they can then verify the correspondence and you can then take action.

I know it feels like just another thing to worry about at that moment. However it is better to be safe than sorry. 

Scams have existed for years and they evolve to try and catch us out- don’t let them catch you out at the moment. Remember if it is too good to be true- well then it normally is.





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