Be wary of a very convincing Tax Refund scam

[csv8]

Be wary of a very convincing Tax Refund scam.
- I have been advised by DTF of an email (copy below with the links made inactive) that people are receiving advising of a refund.

The email is a scam - they use what looks like a valid ATO email address and the links go to good fake ATO and CBA sites - very convincing.

There may well be variations going around - please take care - it is an opportunistic time for scams.

From: refund@ato.gov.au [mailto:refund@ato.gov.au]
Sent: Sunday, 27 June 2010 11:29 PM
Dear Applicant:

After the last annual calculation of our fiscal activity we have determined that your tax refund was miscalculated.
Please provide us with payment details for your tax refund.

Tax refund pending: $ 1400 AUD

Please apply online to get it.
Atention this ChargeBack is available only if you apply online

Please submit the tax refund and allow us 3-9 business days in order to process it.

[Kryton]

Are people really that brainless?
NO government agency will send an email instead of a written letter.
Never have - never will.

[kenz]

Originally Posted by davway

Are people really that brainless?

short answer, yes

[csv8]

and they drive Holdens !!!!

[krt10]

and fords. and every other car brand

[XR6Runner]

Does sound very convincing, I'm sure a few people will fall for it. What really got me was this part

"Atention this ChargeBack is available only if you apply online"

That set the alarm bells off, also because of the misspelling of 'attention'.

[MITCHAY]

No where near convincing, people are just dumb. Hell the way it's worded sounds dodgy.

[RSgerry]

Originally Posted by csv8

Be wary of a very convincing Tax Refund scam.
- I have been advised by DTF of an email (copy below with the links made inactive) that people are receiving advising of a refund.

The email is a scam - they use what looks like a valid ATO email address and the links go to good fake ATO and CBA sites - very convincing.

There may well be variations going around - please take care - it is an opportunistic time for scams.

From: refund@ato.gov.au [mailto:refund@ato.gov.au]
Sent: Sunday, 27 June 2010 11:29 PM
Dear Applicant:

After the last annual calculation of our fiscal activity we have determined that your tax refund was miscalculated.
Please provide us with payment details for your tax refund.

Tax refund pending: $ 1400 AUD

Please apply online to get it.
Atention this ChargeBack is available only if you apply online

Please submit the tax refund and allow us 3-9 business days in order to process it.

any letter coming from the tax dept, or any other govt department would have 'attention' spelt correctly.

[onfire]

Originally Posted by kenz

short answer, yes

And they always end up on ACA or Today Tonight going " I swear I'm not an idiot.. I swear I tell you "

[|||]

only stupid greedy people will fall for stuff like this

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by |||

only stupid greedy people will fall for stuff like this

Stupid... perhaps. Greedy? Doubt it. This isn't a Nigerian scam offering a cut in the gazillion dollar estate left by a member of whatever random African royal family that comes to mind. I think 'uneducated' is a better term.

Oh, and some of them drive Fiats lol. My friend working in the UK fell for something similar.. knew something was up the moment after she entered all her banking details and hit enter.

[sneaky]

heaps of people looking for an easy $1400 would fall for it... how could you not, it's almost like free money - only better because it's coming from the government

[Jim Goose]

This isnt new... has done the rounds on the internet for how many years now??

[asusdragon]

I know people fall for this, I want to know how? As when does the ATO ever just give you money bank for nothing.

[pauljh74]

Originally Posted by asusdragon

I know people fall for this, I want to know how? As when does the ATO ever just give you money bank for nothing.

Yes, the ATO would make the effort to contact you quickly when you owe them money, not when they owe you money

[uranium_death]

How many of the people here saying, 'it's so obvious' woud actually have known it was fake had they received it?

Davway put it simply and by far the best way..

Originally Posted by Davway

NO government agency will send an email instead of a written letter.
Never have - never will.

[onfire]

Well, Uramium_death you pretty much answered your own question.. the answer is common sense.

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

How many of the people here saying, 'it's so obvious' woud actually have known it was fake had they received it?

not just here, everywhere

while this one does seem obvious, most people in the world think they are a cut above the rest, and therefore the scammers were very, very smart to get them
whether it be with scammers, on the road or anywhere people everywhere will preach they are so smart and better than the average joe - and yet their actions do not suggest this. no wonder conmen are doing so well

[mondo_broady]

i saw an interview with a federal copper whose task force investigates these type of things. incredibly, he was saying that sometimes when they intervene to stop someone being ripped off in schemes such as the nigerian bank one, they abuse him and accuse him of trying to stop them getting their money!!

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by mondo_broady

i saw an interview with a federal copper whose task force investigates these type of things. incredibly, he was saying that sometimes when they intervene to stop someone being ripped off in schemes such as the nigerian bank one, they abuse him and accuse him of trying to stop them getting their money!!

Proof that you cant help some people....

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

not just here, everywhere

while this one does seem obvious, most people in the world think they are a cut above the rest, and therefore the scammers were very, very smart to get them
whether it be with scammers, on the road or anywhere people everywhere will preach they are so smart and better than the average joe - and yet their actions do not suggest this. no wonder conmen are doing so well

I just notice so many people though being critical of those that do fall for it...

In life we all my make mistakes...some just make bigger ones than others.

For the record, I have never fallen for a scam because by principle I do not accept cold calling of any kind at all, I do not respond to emails that I do now know, and I apply the old adage, 'If it's too good to sound true, then it probably is' to many things, and although I may not collect that $4,387,471 Canadian lottery that I apparently won, or inherit some rich guy's millions once I give them my bank account details, I won't lose much either.

But I just think it's unfair when people are so hard on others for making mistakes when it's simply human error sometimes...my point is to go easy on those that make a mistake rather than point a finger because I reckon some here have or will be affected directly by a scam at one point.

Pyramid anybody?

[mickyyyy]

SHIFT DELETE PPLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

No company will email or call u with this sort of crap