IT'S TAX SEASON...

Which means cybercriminals will try to exploit the busy tax period by increasing their scam activity. During ‘Tax time’, scammers may use advanced tactics to catch you off guard. Their goal is clear - to steal your money or personal information.

They often engage in tax-related impersonation scams, particularly those appearing to originate from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) or other government services such as myGov.

Scammers may impersonate the ATO or myGov, threatening individuals and businesses with tax debt or offering rebates.

Remember - stay alert to phishing, smishing (SMS phishing), and vishing (phone call phishing) scams. Always verify the authenticity of requests before clicking on links, opening attachments, or following instructions, especially when dealing with finances or personal information.

If you’re unsure about the authenticity of a call or message, contact the ATO or relevant government service to verify.

Protecting yourself

• Scammers may contact you pretending to be from the ATO or a tax agent. If you receive a request via email, phone, or SMS to change or update payment information, contact the agency directly using the phone number on their website. Never use details provided by the caller or sender.

• Turn on multi-factor authentication for all essential services such as email, bank, social media accounts, and any databases holding personal or customer information.

• Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Pause and verify before acting. If you receive one of these messages, do NOT click on the link. Delete the message immediately.

Scam Alert – July 2025: Scam Text Message Impersonating Latitude

We have received reports of scam text messages pretending to be from Latitude. These messages claim that your mobile number has been updated and ask you to visit a fake website to restore the previous number.

What should I do?

If you received an unexpected text message from Latitude, please ignore it and delete it from your device.
Remember – don’t click on any links or share personal information if the contact was unsolicited. Should you have shared any personal details or responded to such a scam, please contact Latitude right away.