ATO warns Australians filing tax returns to be alert to opportunistic scammers who may seek to impersonate government agencies
Many of these scammers originate overseas, but cybersecurity experts have said there is also an added danger of artificial intelligence being used to impersonate an Australian accent.
It has prompted the taxation office to issue a warning and has cyber security experts alarmed.
Sophos field chief information security officer for APJ Aaron Bugal said lack of knowledge about how the ATO communicates can lead to Australians falling victim to tax scams.
"With added pressure of tax season and people unaware that the ATO's main form of communication is through their myGov inbox rather than direct emails or phone calls, it's understandable that individuals are often caught off guard," Mr Bugal said, as reported by Cyber Daily.
Mr Bugal said the stress of collating financial information and then filing the returns creates an ideal environment for scammers to operate in.
The field chief information security officer said scammers are now turning to artificial intelligence to create deep fakes of people and famous Australians which have conned people.
"Identifying these scams is becoming increasingly tough. Scammers are now leveraging AI to duplicate official ATO emails with alarming accuracy," he said.
"It's not just the less tech-savvy who are at risk; even vigilant users can be misled. Just one click can result in financial loss, identity theft, and repeated fraud attempts."
In a statement, the ATO said it would never make unsolicited calls or SMS messages to people, adding official messages would come through myGOV.
"We may send you an SMS or email asking you to contact us, but we'll never send an unsolicited message with a link asking you to return personal information or log into our online services," it said.
To contact the ATO, head to www.ato.gov.au or call 13 28 65
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
27 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Russian oil ‘bound for Australia'
A tanker purportedly full of Russian oil is set to dock in Western Australia within days, despite sanctions being in place against Moscow, Ukrainian and anti-Russian oil campaigners According to DFAT, the 'import, purchase or transport' of several goods is prohibited 'if they were exported from, or originated in, Russia'. That includes oil and petroleum products. The ship Seferis left Sika in India two weeks ago full of oil from the Jamnagar refinery, and it is due to arrive in the outer-Perth suburb of Kwinana by 4am Sunday. The Jamnagar refinery is notoriously fed by Russian crude oil, with as much as 55 per cent of their 2025 stock coming from the European pariah. This means the imported oil, which originated in Russia, could end up fuelling Australian vehicles on the road. Anti-Russian oil campaigners allege this ship is full of covertly imported Russian oil Credit: Supplied The alarm has been raised about a 'loophole' that allows Russian oil to be bought and sold in Australia, with local campaigners and parliamentarians calling for immediate action. Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie raised the issue in Question Time on Thursday, asking the Defence Minister Richard Marles 'Why are the loopholes in our sanctions so big you can drive a tanker through them?' 'In July, two vessels reportedly docked in Botany Bay, with some 175,000 tonnes of petrol from the Jamnagar refinery in India, which uses up to 55 per cent Russian oil,' Mr Wilkie said. 'So these vessels effectively carry some 90,000 tonnes of Russian-sourced petrol, paid for by Australians, which will help fund Putin's war in Ukraine.' Independent MP Andrew Wilkie questioned the government about the 'loophole'. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Marles largely avoided the question instead focusing on the sanctions that had been put in place. 'Sanctions, which is the topic of the question the member has asked, is an important part of what we are putting in place to stand with Ukraine,' Mr Marles said. 'And our government will stand with Ukraine. 'I know the Australian people will stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes for Ukraine to resolve this conflict on its terms.' The loophole has recently been closed in the European Union, which has banned the importation of petroleum products refined form Russian crude oil in its 18th sanctions package against Russia. Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles defended Australia's sanctions. NewsWire / Simon Bullard. Credit: News Corp Australia The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations has urged Australia to take similar action. 'This decisive action closes a glaring and deeply exploited loophole that has allowed Russian crude to enter global markets through refineries in third-party countries – undermining sanctions and fuelling the Kremlin's war machine. 'We urge the Australian government to take similar action and close this loophole in Australia's own sanctions regime. 'Since February 2023, Australia has imported an estimated $3.7bn worth of Russian crude, as a component in refined petroleum products from Indian refineries – sending around $1.8bn in tax revenue to the Kremlin. 'This flow of profits directly helps fund Russia's brutal war against Ukraine.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Tanker carrying Russian oil set to dock in WA despite sanctions, campaigners say
A tanker purportedly full of Russian oil is set to dock in Western Australia within days, despite sanctions being in place against Moscow, Ukrainian and anti-Russian oil campaigners According to DFAT, the 'import, purchase or transport' of several goods is prohibited 'if they were exported from, or originated in, Russia'. That includes oil and petroleum products. The ship Seferis left Sika in India two weeks ago full of oil from the Jamnagar refinery, and it is due to arrive in the outer-Perth suburb of Kwinana by 4am Sunday. The Jamnagar refinery is notoriously fed by Russian crude oil, with as much as 55 per cent of their 2025 stock coming from the European pariah. This means the imported oil, which originated in Russia, could end up fuelling Australian vehicles on the road. The alarm has been raised about a 'loophole' that allows Russian oil to be bought and sold in Australia, with local campaigners and parliamentarians calling for immediate action. Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie raised the issue in Question Time on Thursday, asking the Defence Minister Richard Marles 'Why are the loopholes in our sanctions so big you can drive a tanker through them?' 'In July, two vessels reportedly docked in Botany Bay, with some 175,000 tonnes of petrol from the Jamnagar refinery in India, which uses up to 55 per cent Russian oil,' Mr Wilkie said. 'So these vessels effectively carry some 90,000 tonnes of Russian-sourced petrol, paid for by Australians, which will help fund Putin's war in Ukraine.' Mr Marles largely avoided the question instead focusing on the sanctions that had been put in place. 'Sanctions, which is the topic of the question the member has asked, is an important part of what we are putting in place to stand with Ukraine,' Mr Marles said. 'And our government will stand with Ukraine. 'I know the Australian people will stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes for Ukraine to resolve this conflict on its terms.' The loophole has recently been closed in the European Union, which has banned the importation of petroleum products refined form Russian crude oil in its 18th sanctions package against Russia. The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations has urged Australia to take similar action. 'This decisive action closes a glaring and deeply exploited loophole that has allowed Russian crude to enter global markets through refineries in third-party countries – undermining sanctions and fuelling the Kremlin's war machine. 'We urge the Australian government to take similar action and close this loophole in Australia's own sanctions regime. 'Since February 2023, Australia has imported an estimated $3.7bn worth of Russian crude, as a component in refined petroleum products from Indian refineries – sending around $1.8bn in tax revenue to the Kremlin. 'This flow of profits directly helps fund Russia's brutal war against Ukraine.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Trump puts world 'on notice' to lift beef bans
US President Donald Trump has issued a scorching demand for any global bans on US beef to be lifted, following the relaxation of importation rules in Australia. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Mr Trump said 'After many years Australia has agreed to accept American Beef'. 'For a long time, and even though we are great friends, they actually banned our Beef.' He insisted that the US would now sell 'so much to Australia'. 'This is undeniable and irrefutable Proof that U.S. Beef is the Safest and Best in the entire World. 'The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE. 'All of our Nation's Ranchers, who are some of the hardest working and most wonderful people, are smiling today, which means I am smiling too. He ended the post with a call to 'keep the Hot Streak going'. It comes after the Albanese government's decision to lift restrictions on US beef imports, which came after a lengthy science-based review. The relaxation of the rules has however faced criticism from the Coalition for its 'exquisite' timing as Labor enters trade negotiations with the US. The Trump Administration claimed credit for the change in a Department of Agriculture press release titled 'Make Agriculture Great Again Trade Wins: President Trump Secures Greater Ag Market Access to Australia for American Beef'. The US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the change removed 'non-scientific trade barriers'. 'Gone are the days of putting American farmers on the sidelines,' Ms Rollins said. 'This is yet another example of the kind of market access the President negotiates to bring America into a new golden age of prosperity, with American agriculture leading the way.' The change was also praised by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a statement on Thursday that singled out US President Donald Trump's 'leadership' for the change. 'Yesterday's decision by Australia marks a major milestone in lowering trade barriers and securing market access for US farmers and ranchers,' he said. 'President Trump is taking decisive action to confront unfair trading practices, and Australia's decision to unlock market access for US beef is a direct result of his leadership.' US beef was first banned in Australia in 2003 following an outbreak of mad cow disease. It was a total ban until 2019, when it was lifted, albeit restrictions remained on US exports that originated in Canada or Mexico. Australia had maintained the ban under the banner of biosecurity, but Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry was 'satisfied' with the 'strengthened control measures' put in place by the US. Local Australian beef producers have said the expect the new import rules to have minimal effect, citing high demand in the US and Australian's preference for homegrown meat. 'The potential for US beef to be imported into Australia in large volumes is minimal, given the high demand for beef in the US, the low US cattle herd, the strength of the Australian dollar, our competitive domestic supply, and most importantly Australians' strong preference for high-quality, tasty and nutritious Australian beef,' Meat and Livestock Australia said in a statement.
