Bogus Tax Refund Email
Warning: Tax refund email scam
The Tax Office is warning people about another bogus email circulating that claims to offer a refund from the Tax Office.
The email claims to be from the Australian Taxation Office, and shows a Tax Office email address as the sender.
The email uses the Tax Office logo and includes the words 'You are eligible to receive a tax refund of $250.50' in the subject heading and the following text:
Dear Australian Taxation Office customer,
After the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $250.50 AUD Please submit the tax refund and allow us 3-5 business days in order to process it.
There may be other variations to the subject and text.
The email asks people to complete a refund form by clicking on a link in the email which directs them to a bogus Tax Office website and asks for personal and credit card details.
Second Commissioner David Butler said anyone who receives the email should delete it immediately.
"The Tax Office never sends emails asking people to provide personal information or credit card details," Mr Butler said.
"People should always be wary of unsolicited emails claiming to be from the Tax Office, particularly those that encourage you to follow embedded links to other sites.
"We recommend that you type internet addresses directly into your internet browser rather than following links in emails as an extra precaution."
Anyone who has already entered their credit card information into the bogus site should immediately report it to their credit card provider.
More information on online security including examples of scam forms and emails is available on www.ato.gov.au