ATO urges vigilance following new TFN and ABN scams.
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is urging taxpayers to be vigilant following an increase in reports of fake websites offering to provide tax file numbers (TFN) and Australian business numbers (ABN) for a fee but failing to provide the service. The fake TFN and ABN services are often advertised on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The advertisements offer to obtain a TFN or ABN for a fee. Instead of delivering this service, the scammer uses these fraudulent websites to steal both money and personal information.
It is free, quick and easy to use government services to apply for a TFN through the ATO, or apply for an ABNExternal Link through the Australian Business Register (ABR).
ATO Assistant Commissioner Tim Loh said: “Scammers are constantly developing new ways to target the community, and we expect to see more of these malicious attempts to steal identity details in the lead up to tax time.”
In 2021, more than 50,000 people reported ATO impersonation scams with victims losing a total of more than $800,000.
For more information on how to identify and report a scam visit www.ato.gov.au/General/Online-services/Identity-securityand-scams/Verify-or-report-a-scam/