How to stay scam safe

Don't take the risk – take a sec to check

Scammers rely on everyday distractions to trick you into handing over your personal information. They know people are juggling work, family and life and they exploit those moments to pressure you into acting quickly.

Don't take the risk – always check all interactions that claim to be from the ATO and be aware of what information you share. If a scammer gets your personal information they could use it to access your bank account, sign into your myGov account, steal money, and commit fraud in your name.

To keep yourself safe:

• Stop – Never share your myGov sign in details with anyone. Only share other personal information if you trust the person and they genuinely need it.
• Check – Take a sec to check. Ask yourself could the message or call be fake? Is it really the ATO contacting you?
• Protect – Act quickly if something feels wrong or you've noticed suspicious activity on your ATO accounts. Don’t engage. Instead:
  • See Verify or report a scam
  • check our latest Scam alerts
  • call us on 1800 008 540 to confirm.

If you see an ATO impersonation scam, it’s important to report it, even if you didn’t respond. Reporting scams helps us protect you, your family and the broader community.

The ATO app

The ATO app is an easy way to access and manage your tax and super on the go. It's free to download and use. Once you download the app and complete the simple, one-time registration process, you will have access to a range of security features to keep your ATO account safe including real-time security messages.

If you receive a message and something doesn’t feel right, you can lock your account immediately in the ATO app. Contact us during business hours to discuss any suspicious activity. Further controls may be put in place to protect your information.

You can also verify a call claiming to be from the ATO is genuine using the ATO app.

When signing in to ATO online services through the ATO app or myGov, we encourage individuals to use myID with the highest possible identity strength. This helps protect your personal information against identity crime, including tax fraud.

To make sure you are using the official ATO app, download it from Google Play or the App Store only.

External Link     External Link

Your personal information

To commit identity crime or fraud, scammers only need some of your personal information. This may include:

• full name
• date of birth
• current address
• myGov and ATO online login details
• Tax file number (TFN)
• passwords
• bank account numbers
• credit card details
• drivers licence details
• passport details.

Scammers can use your information in a variety of ways, such as to commit refund fraud in your name, access your myGov account, steal your superannuation or sell your identity to organised crime groups.

If you suspect your personal information has been stolen, misused or compromised, phone us as soon as possible on 1800 467 033 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm AEST, Monday to Friday. We will work with you to place extra protections on your ATO account.

Consequences of identity theft

If your identity is stolen, the consequences can extend beyond immediate financial loss and can lead to serious personal and professional challenges, including:

• damage to your credit rating, making it harder to get a loan or credit card
• difficulty proving your identity and replacing important identity documents
• harm to your reputation, including potential access to your social media accounts and misuse of your online presence.

Victims often spend years repairing the damage and restoring their identity.

The emotional toll is also significant. Many people experience stress, anxiety and a sense of vulnerability knowing someone else can exploit their personal information at any time.

Protect yourself

Our top tips to keep your personal information safe are:

1. Don't give out your personal information to anyone unless you trust the person and they genuinely require your details.
2. 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.
3. Download the ATO app and register your device to access security features, such as security messages and the ability to lock your account in the event of suspicious activity.
4. Always access online services by directly typing the URL into a browser, not by clicking on a link.
5. Never share your passwords – also consider using passphrasesExternal Link instead of passwords. A password manager can help you generate or store passphrases. You should also update them regularly.
6. Enable multifactor authentication – if scammers obtain your password, multi-factor authenticationExternal Link will make it significantly harder for them to access your account.
7. Keep your devices up to date – scammers can use malware to access or steal your personal information on your devices including phones, computers and tablets.
8. Use your Digital ID (such as myID), set to the highest identity strength you can achieve, to access ATO online services through myGov.
9. Set up Voice authentication to help us identify you and protect your tax account.

For more information about:

• myID, see How to set up myIDExternal Link.
• cyber security tips, see Top cyber security tips for individuals.
• securing your devices, see Australian Cyber Security CentreExternal Link.

How we keep your information safe

We take the security and privacy of your personal information seriously. We use a range of measures to keep your data and online transactions with us safe and secure.

We protect your information by:

• confirming your identity when you contact us before we discuss your tax or super affairs with you
• using secure systems and controls
• logging access to your information so we can detect any unusual activity.

To help keep you safe online, we only share your information with your consent, unless the law allows otherwise.

How we communicate with you

We may use SMS or email to ask you to contact us, but we will never send an unsolicited message with a link asking you to return personal information or log in to our online services.

We are on FacebookExternal Link, InstagramExternal Link and LinkedInExternal Link, but we will never use these platforms to ask you to provide personal information, documentation or ask you to make payments.

When you receive a phone call claiming to be from the ATO, you can use the Verify call feature in the ATO app on your registered device to verify that the call is genuinely from us. If you are unable to verify the call, hang up. Do not continue the conversation.

^{Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra.}