In short
Most common fake: You have a tax refund waiting, sign in to myGov through this link.
Safest check: Type my.gov.au into your browser yourself rather than using a link.
Where to report it: Forward scam emails, or email screenshots of scam texts, to the ATO at ReportScams@ato.gov.au, or use its online report form.
What ATO says
The ATO says it will never send unsolicited texts or emails with links or QR codes, ask for personal identifying details by email or text, threaten arrest or cancel your TFN, or ask for payment by gift card, crypto or cash. It may contact you by phone, email, SMS, post or myGov, and its calls show as No Caller ID. If you are not sure, call the ATO on 1800 008 540. Source: Australian Taxation Office
Common fake ATO messages
These are the 5 shapes a fake ATO message usually takes. They are listed in the order we see them most often, and none of them is something ATO itself does.
- You have a tax refund waiting, sign in to myGov through this link
- You owe a tax debt and will be arrested unless you pay today
- Email with an attachment to book an ATO phone appointment
- Fake DocuSign email about a tax notice or refund
- Robocall saying your tax file number has been suspended
ATO's real web addresses
Genuine ATO links and emails use these domains. Look at the part just before the first single slash: ato.gov.au is real, but ato-support-center.com or ato.gov.au.account-check.top are not.
- ato.gov.au
- my.gov.au
Scammers can also hide a fake link behind real-looking text. Learn how to read a web address.
How to check a ATO message safely
- Type my.gov.au into your browser yourself rather than using a link
- Call the ATO on 1800 008 540 to check whether the contact is real
- Check that email sender addresses end in ato.gov.au, and remember they can still be faked
- Never pay a tax debt by gift card, crypto or cash
How to report a fake ATO message
- Forward scam emails, or email screenshots of scam texts, to the ATO at ReportScams@ato.gov.au, or use its online report form. Official details on ato.gov.au
- If you lost money or shared details, call the ATO on 1800 008 540 and contact your bank. Official details on ato.gov.au
- Report the scam to Scamwatch. Official details on scamwatch.gov.au
Also report it to the official fraud service in your country. See the worldwide list.
If you clicked, paid or shared details
Act quickly. It makes a difference.
- If you entered card or bank details, call your bank now using the number on your card, and ask them to block the card.
- If you entered a password, change it at ato.gov.au, typed into your browser yourself, and turn on two-step verification. Do not use any link from the message.
- Expect follow-up calls or messages pretending to help, sometimes claiming to be from ATO security. Never share one-time codes and never move money to a "safe account".
- Forward scam emails, or email screenshots of scam texts, to the ATO at ReportScams@ato.gov.au, or use its online report form, then delete the message.
More help: Fake tax refunds, government payments and fines and what to do after a scam.
How to protect yourself next time
Watch for anyone using your identity
If you shared ID documents, card details or a Social Security number, monitoring can alert you when someone opens credit or accounts in your name.
Free: In the US, a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is free and blocks most new-credit fraud. Elsewhere, ask your bank and your credit reference agency about fraud alerts.
- Aura Partner link US identity theft protection with credit monitoring and fraud insurance.
Take your details off data broker sites
Scammers buy phone numbers, home addresses and family details from people-search and data broker sites. The less of that is public, the fewer and less convincing the scam messages you get.
Free: You can ask each site to delete your details yourself. In the EU and the UK, data protection law gives you that right.
- Incogni Partner link Sends removal requests to data brokers for you, and keeps sending them.
Compare the tools that help, and what each costs
Links marked Partner link may earn us a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes our advice, and the free option always comes first. Affiliate disclosure.
Questions people ask
Does ATO send messages asking for payment or personal details?
The ATO says it will never send unsolicited texts or emails with links or QR codes, ask for personal identifying details by email or text, threaten arrest or cancel your TFN, or ask for payment by gift card, crypto or cash. It may contact you by phone, email, SMS, post or myGov, and its calls show as No Caller ID. If you are not sure, call the ATO on 1800 008 540.
How can I check if a ATO message is real?
Type my.gov.au into your browser yourself rather than using a link. Call the ATO on 1800 008 540 to check whether the contact is real. Check that email sender addresses end in ato.gov.au, and remember they can still be faked. Never pay a tax debt by gift card, crypto or cash.
How do I report a fake ATO message?
Forward scam emails, or email screenshots of scam texts, to the ATO at ReportScams@ato.gov.au, or use its online report form. If you lost money or shared details, call the ATO on 1800 008 540 and contact your bank. Report the scam to Scamwatch.
I clicked a link in a fake ATO message but did not enter anything. Am I at risk?
Opening a link is far less serious than filling one in. Close it, and if you need your account, reach it by typing ato.gov.au yourself. Clicking does tell the sender your number is live, so expect more messages for a while: forward scam emails, or email screenshots of scam texts, to the ato at reportscams@ato.gov.au, or use its online report form.
Have you had this one?
Tell other people what the message said and how it reached you. It helps someone recognise it before they tap.
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Official sources and further reading
We check our pages against official advice from the organisations themselves and from government agencies.
- Verify or report an ATO scam (Australian Taxation Office)
- Scam alerts (Australian Taxation Office)
- Report a scam (Scamwatch (ACCC))