I recently received a phone message on my home phone claiming to be from the Taxation Department and talking about some error in my taxation records. There is also a threat about legal action against me.
I knew that there is no way the Tax Office would be contacting me by phone and smelled a rat. I checked the Australian Government's Scam Watch page and there it was in their ScamWatch Radar link. The phone number is different but the methodology is the same.
Please also notice that the Australian Government sites all end in ".gov.au".
Play the above video to hear the phone message in it's entirety.
A word on Identity Theft: You will be surprised how little information is needed from you to steal your identity. Your tax file number and bank account number and address or date of birth may be all that's necessary to reset your banking passwords and allow thieves to take out loans in your name or access your bank accounts.
Also if you are an avid Facebook fan please limit the amount of personal information you list in your profile. Someone will be looking for it.
Be careful and check with ScamWatch if you suspect a scam.
