Friday 17 June 2011

Watch out for tax scammers


A word of warning that is worth passing on. Phone and e-mail scammers claiming to be from the Australian Tax Office are offering a "A$7000 grant" in return for a A$200 payment.

During the busy tax season, scammers will try to catch people off guard using phone calls, letters, text messages, emails, bogus websites and even false job advertisements to trick people into providing their personal details and pay money.

The crooks operating the scam claim to be from the ATO or Taxation Department.They even try to appear more legitimate by providing people with a case number and a telephone number to call back on, warns the ATO

Anyone receiving these types of calls should treat them with utmost caution and not provide any personal details or money. The ATO will never ask you to pay money to receive your refund.

Reported scam attempts are investigated by the ATO and other government agencies as appropriate, including the Australian Federal Police.

The ATO has warned taxpayers also to steer clear of tax avoidance schemes as they prepare to lodge their 2011 tax returns. If you're considering entering into an arrangement that will affect your tax liabilities -- including shares, real estate or other financial products -- it's important to carefully investigate and understand the tax consequences before making your investment decision.

Prepared by Bob Woodward & Associates: offering you business consultancy, accounting, payroll administration and ancillary services in Darwin; The Northern Territory, Australia
http://www.woodwards.co/

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