How To Secure My Business Before Tax Season Australia

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How To Secure My Business Before Tax Season Australia. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Scam activity typically increases during tax season as cybercriminals attempt to exploit the urgency and anxiety surrounding tax obligations. Small businesses across Australia are frequent targets of phishing emails, fraudulent SMS messages, and deceptive phone calls impersonating the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), MyGov, or other trusted organisations. This guide explains how to verify suspicious communications and protect your business before providing any personal or financial information.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Pause before clicking any links or downloading attachments in unexpected messages.
2. Verify the sender's email address by hovering over the name to reveal the actual address.
3. Contact the organisation directly using official contact details found on their website, not details provided in the message.
4. Do not provide your Tax File Number (TFN), banking details, or passwords via email or SMS.
5. Report suspected scams to Scamwatch and the ACCC.

Detailed Instructions

Identifying Fraudulent Emails

Scammers often spoof legitimate email addresses to make messages appear official. Use these steps to authenticate an email:

1. Check the sender's email address carefully. Look for misspellings, unusual domains, or public email services (such as @gmail.com or @outlook.com) claiming to be from a government agency.
2. Hover your mouse over any links without clicking to see the actual destination URL. If the link does not match the organisation's official website, do not click it.
3. Look for generic greetings such as "Dear Customer" instead of your name or business name.
4. Be wary of urgent language threatening legal action, fines, or immediate account suspension.
5. Check for poor spelling and grammar, although sophisticated scams may be well-written.
6. Never open attachments from unexpected senders, as they may contain malware or ransomware.

The ATO will never send you an email or SMS containing a link to log in to MyGov or requesting your TFN, bank account details, or credit card information via reply.

Verifying SMS Messages (Smishing)

Fraudulent text messages often contain links to fake websites designed to steal login credentials or financial details.

1. Do not click links in unsolicited text messages claiming to be from the ATO, MyGov, or your bank.
2. Check the sender ID, but be aware that scammers can spoof official sender names.
3. Manually type the official website address into your browser instead of using any link provided in the message.
4. Log in to your MyGov account directly through my.gov.au to check for any legitimate messages or notifications.
5. Delete the message and block the sender if you suspect it is a scam.

Authenticating Phone Calls (Vishing)

Scammers may call claiming to be from the ATO, your bank, or a software provider, often creating a sense of urgency.

1. Do not provide personal or financial information over the phone unless you initiated the call using a verified number.
2. Ask for the caller's name, organisation, and a reference number.
3. Hang up and call the organisation back using a phone number from their official website or a previous legitimate document.
4. Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment via unusual methods such as cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfers.
5. If the caller pressures you to stay on the line or threatens immediate arrest, it is almost certainly a scam.

Checking Suspicious Websites

Fake websites often mimic legitimate government or business sites to harvest credentials and payment details.

1. Examine the URL in the address bar. Official Australian government websites end in .gov.au.
2. Look for the padlock icon in the browser address bar indicating a secure connection, though this alone does not guarantee a site is legitimate.
3. Compare the website design, logo, and colour scheme with the official site you know.
4. Use a search engine to navigate to the official website rather than clicking links from emails or SMS messages.
5. Avoid entering sensitive information on any site you reached via an unsolicited message.

What To Do If You Suspect a Scam

1. Stop all communication with the suspected scammer immediately.
2. Do not make any payments or provide further personal information.
3. If you have shared financial details, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.
4. If you have shared login credentials, change your passwords immediately on all affected accounts.
5. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on your email, banking, and government services accounts where available.
6. Run a full antivirus scan on any device that may have been exposed to malicious links or attachments.

Reporting Scams

Reporting helps authorities track scam trends and warn other businesses and individuals.

1. Visit the Scamwatch website at scamwatch.gov.au.
2. Select the option to report a scam and complete the online form with details of the communication.
3. You can also report tax-related scams to the ATO by visiting ato.gov.au and searching for "report a scam".
4. If you have lost money, contact your financial institution and consider reporting the matter to your local police.

Never share your Tax File Number (TFN), myGov sign-in details, or banking passwords via email, SMS, or over an unsolicited phone call. Legitimate organisations will not request this information through these channels.

Troubleshooting

If you are unsure whether a communication is legitimate, treat it as suspicious until verified through official channels. When in doubt, contact the organisation directly using contact details sourced independently from their official website.

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