Beware of tax scams!

Thousands of people in Queensland have recently been threatened with arrest by scammers falsely claiming to be from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) or the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

So far this year, the scam has netted over $800,000 from unwary victims.

The scammers appear to be calling from an Australian phone number (02 6100 3027), but are using VOIP technology to call from overseas.

So how can you identify a tax scam, and what should you do if you encounter one?

The ATO outlines a number of things to look out for, including:

• Emails which appear to be from the ATO offering you an unexpected refund or grant in exchange for personal information such as your credit card details.
• SMS messages claiming you are eligible for a refund which link to what appears to be the ATO website. It's not! Always check the URL at the top of the page is www.ato.gov.au.
• Phone calls from people claiming to be from the ATO, offering you a refund, threatening your arrest due to a tax error or seeking your personal information.

Remember, the ATO will never ask for personal details, so that's a clear sign of a scam.

For more information, visit the ATO website (and yes, this is a genuine link!).