Australian residents are currently receiving emails that claim to be from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
The emails warn that a review of your 2016 tax return has revealed “several inconsistencies”. They advise you to click a link to download your screening outcome and then visit the nearest ATO bureau to clarify the supposed discrepancies.
The emails have a subject with the words “Tax Declaration” followed by a string of numbers and finish with the signature line “ATO Australia”.
However, the emails are not from the ATO as claimed. The fraudulent messages are designed to trick you into infecting your computer with malware.
If you click the link, you will be taken to a file sharing website and instructed to download a file. However, the file will not be a tax declaration document as claimed. Instead, the file you download will contain a malware payload.
Similar tactics are often used to trick taxpayers into supplying their personal and financial information via fake account update or tax refund forms.
THE ATO will not send you emails or text messages that demand that you download a file or supply personal information via a web form.
If you receive one of these messages, do not follow any instructions that it contains. Just delete it. The ATO website includes information about reporting such scam attempts.
From: AU TAX
Subject: Tax Declaration 829910938-532-169
Dear Resident ,
This is to let you know that your tax application for the year 2016 has been reviewed by our officers and several inconsistencies have been revealed.We advise you to visit our nearest bureau to clarify the discrepancies in question.Download now.Kindly bring with you a printed copy(download)of the screening outcome, which you will find in attached file, a copy of your revenue statement 2016 and your ID card/passport.
Best regards,
ATO AUSTRALIA
Original Source : https://www.hoax-slayer.net/fake-ato-tax-declaration-emails-want-you-to-download-a-file/