Data Management Risk

ATO warns Australians of fake ‘myGov’ email scams

Eliza Sayon May 10, 2021

2 min read

The Australian Taxation Office warns Australians to be careful of the “myGov” email impersonation scams circulating throughout the internet.

The fake emails claiming to be from ‘myGov customer care team’ is asking people to click a link to verify their identity using a “secure form”. This then takes the user to a fake myGov page requesting personal identifying information and banking details.

ATO Assistant Commissioner Ben Foster confirmed that this scam collects personal information such as passports and driver’s licence details rather than gaining access to live information within the system. He also reveals that ATO systems, myGov, and myGovID have not been compromised.

The new phishing scam is said to contain classic signs of its illegitimacy such as asking people to click a link to confirm their details and spelling errors.

“The ATO and myGov does send emails and SMS messages, however will never send you an email or SMS with a hyperlink directing you to a login page for our online services,” Assistant Commissioner Foster said.

Meanwhile, Services Australia General Manager Hank Jongen said scams were becoming more sophisticated. He advises people to be careful of opening emails that ask for identity documents or personal identifying information.

“If you‘ve received the suspicious email and provided your myGov sign-in information you should take immediate action,” General Manager Jongen said. “Change your myGov password and if you’ve provided your banking details, contact your bank.”

ATO advises individuals the following:

logging into myGov should only be done through my.gov.au, ato.gov.au, and the ATO app
download the app only from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store
report any “myGov” email scams to ScamWatch
if you have clicked the link and provided your information, contact Services Australia’s Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk

“In the lead up to tax time, we expect to see more of these malicious attempts to harvest identity details. So, we encourage everyone to be on alert and take the time to remind family and friends to be on the lookout and stay safe online,” Assistant Commissioner Foster said.

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.