How To Stay “Scam Safe”
Our top tips to keep your personal information safe are:
- Don’t give out your personal information to anyone unless you trust the person and they genuinely require your details.
- The ATO will never send unsolicited emails or SMS with QR codes or links to an online portal. Scammers often use these methods to steal your personal information or plant malware on your devices. If you receive a notification asking you do this, it is a scam. The ATO may use SMS or email to ask you to contact them, but they will never send an unsolicited message with a link asking you to return personal information or log in to their online services.
- Always access online services by directly typing the URL into a browser, not by clicking on a link.
- Protect your TFN – only give your TFN to organisations or people who have a legitimate need for it, such as your tax agent, current employer or bank. It’s important to verify that the person you’re giving your TFN to is who they say they are.
- Never share your passwords. Consider using passphrases instead of passwords, a password manager can help you generate or store passphrases. You should also consider updating them regularly.
- Enable multifactor authentication. If scammers obtain your password, it will be significantly harder for them to access your account.
- Keep your devices up to date. Scammers can use viruses, malware and programs to access or steal your personal information on your devices including phones, computers and tablets.
- Use your Digital ID (such as myID), set to the strongest level you can achieve, to access ATO online services through myGov.
If you are a victim of a data breach and your personal information has been accessed, call the ATO on 1800 008 540.
If you suspect your personal information, such as your TFN, has been stolen, misused or compromised, phone the ATO as soon as possible on 1800 467 033 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm Monday to Friday.
Author
Peta Stephen