The ATO has refuted reports in the media it has suffered a cyberattack and has taken the time to assure people its systems remain secure, resilient and uncompromised.
“The safety of taxpayers’ information is of the utmost importance to us and the ATO continues to remain vigilant for new and emerging cyberthreats,” the ATO said in an online update.
“In the past year, the ATO has introduced a range of measures to better protect client identity and accounts. The ATO will soon be deploying additional security features in the ATO app, which will enable taxpayers to better protect themselves. This includes the ability to receive secure messages from the ATO when key information, such as bank account details, are changed.”
The regulator confirmed it will activate stringent security measures to protect taxpayers when it suspects the identity of an individual has been compromised by a cyberattack.
“If an individual is found to be a victim of third-party fraud, we will work with them to fix their client account and remediate it to its true and genuine position. The ATO will then work to recover the monies,” the ATO noted.
It advised consumers to be vigilant about scam emails, phone calls and text messages claiming to be from the ATO as their frequency can increase toward the end of the financial year. To this end, it reiterated the characteristics of its forms of communications.
“The ATO may use SMS or email to ask taxpayers to contact us, but will never send an unsolicited message containing a hyperlink to log on to online services. Always access ATO services directly by typing ato.gov.au or my.gov.au into your browser,” it confirmed.
The regulator also provided instruction as to what taxpayers should do if they suspect they have fallen victim to scam activity.
“If taxpayers have divulged personal information, such as your myGov details, or paid a scammer, they should contact the ATO immediately on 1800 008 540 so they can take appropriate steps to protect your information. In addition to calling the ATO, if taxpayers think their identity has been compromised and it has impacted their tax affairs, they should also inform their tax agent,” it suggested.
“The ATO encourages the community to engage with it through [email protected] or refer to ato.gov.au/scams for more information on how to spot and report ATO impersonation scams.”
