Aggressive phone messages demanding money for supposedly unpaid tax debts are causing Wyndham residents anger and distress.
Australian Tax Office second commissioner Geoff Leeper says the tax office is concerned that taxpayers are being targeted.
“We make thousands of outbound calls to taxpayers a week,” he said, “but there are some key differences between a legitimate call from the ATO and a call from a potential scammer.
“We would never cold-call you about a debt. We would never threaten jail or arrest, and our staff certainly wouldn’t behave in an aggressive manner.”
Mr Leeper advised people unsure whether a call was a scam or legitimate to hang up and call the ATO back on 1800 008 540.
The phone scam involves cold calls from people claiming to be an ATO worker.
Callers tell people they have a debt with the tax office, often threatening arrest or legal action if the debt is not paid immediately.
The Wyndham police crime investigation unit’s First Constable Madeline Gillard said police had received recent reports from Tarneit area residents about the phone scam, which has been circulating other parts of the city for about six months.
“In each reported case, the caller threatened the victim with legal action if they do not pay immediately,” First Constable Gillard said.
Wyndham residents have taken to Facebook to share their experiences about the scam calls.
Natasha, who was contacted last Monday, said that after telling the caller she was certain she had no outstanding debt, she was told she was making a mistake and was asked to provide her home address.
Jessica wrote: “The male was aggressive on my message bank. They never said my name in the whole message, they just said I owe money … and if I don’t reply there will be legal issues”.
Report scams or attempted scams online at www.scamwatch.gov.au
ATO GUIDE ON HOW TO VERIFY OR REPORT A TAX SCAM
