Scam page
Protect yourself against Identity Fraud & Tax Scams
If you suspect that you have been the victim of tax identity or financial fraud
We advise you to call the ATO’s Client Identity Support Centre (CISC) on 1800 467 033 if you know or suspect that someone has stolen your tax file number (TFN) or is using your tax-related information illegally. More information can be found on their website Help for identity theft | Australian Taxation Office (ato.gov.au).
You can also lodge a complaint with the ATO if you have been unsuccessful in trying to resolve the issue with the ATO. Please see their website for more details Complaints | Australian Taxation Office (ato.gov.au)
If you have already lodged a formal complaint with the ATO and were unable to come to a resolution, you can lodge a complaint with the IGTO using our online webform. Please see our website for more details How to lodge your complaint with us – IGTO
Calls purporting to be the IGTO
We are aware that some taxpayers have received scam phone calls purporting to be from the IGTO and asking taxpayers to provide personal information.
The IGTO does not use automated messages to contact taxpayers or make unsolicited requests for personal information. We will contact you only for the purposes of investigating a complaint that you have lodged with us. If we are investigating your complaint, you will receive a complaint investigation number. Our reference numbers appear on all communications we send to you and they look like this:
IGT/12/34567
You can use this for the purpose of verifying all contact with the IGTO is legitimate and not a scam. You can also contact us or request this verification to confirm that any request for information is legitimate.
Do not provide any personal information until you are sure.
Calls, SMS, Voicemails or Emails purporting to be the ATO
There are many scams purporting to be from the ATO.
If you think a phone call, SMS, voicemail or email claiming to be from the ATO is not genuine, do not reply to it. Instead you should either:
- phone the ATO on 1800 008 540
- go to the ATO’s Verify or report a scam – to see how to spot and report a scam.
The ATO’s website also provides other information on the latest tax scams and how to protect yourself against these. You can access that information here
Protect yourself against Identity Fraud & Tax Scams
If you suspect that you have been the victim of tax identity or financial fraud
We advise you to call the ATO’s Client Identity Support Centre (CISC) on 1800 467 033 if you know or suspect that someone has stolen your tax file number (TFN) or is using your tax-related information illegally. More information can be found on their website Help for identity theft | Australian Taxation Office (ato.gov.au).
You can also lodge a complaint with the ATO if you have been unsuccessful in trying to resolve the issue with the ATO. Please see their website for more details Complaints | Australian Taxation Office (ato.gov.au)
If you have already lodged a formal complaint with the ATO and were unable to come to a resolution, you can lodge a complaint with the IGTO using our online webform. Please see our website for more details How to lodge your complaint with us – IGTO
Calls purporting to be the IGTO
We are aware that some taxpayers have received scam phone calls purporting to be from the IGTO and asking taxpayers to provide personal information.
The IGTO does not use automated messages to contact taxpayers or make unsolicited requests for personal information. We will contact you only for the purposes of investigating a complaint that you have lodged with us. If we are investigating your complaint, you will receive a complaint investigation number. Our reference numbers appear on all communications we send to you and they look like this:
IGT/12/34567
You can use this for the purpose of verifying all contact with the IGTO is legitimate and not a scam. You can also contact us or request this verification to confirm that any request for information is legitimate.
Do not provide any personal information until you are sure.
Calls, SMS, Voicemails or Emails purporting to be the ATO
There are many scams purporting to be from the ATO.
If you think a phone call, SMS, voicemail or email claiming to be from the ATO is not genuine, do not reply to it. Instead you should either:
- phone the ATO on 1800 008 540
- go to the ATO’s Verify or report a scam – to see how to spot and report a scam.
The ATO’s website also provides other information on the latest tax scams and how to protect yourself against these. You can access that information here