It is certainly concerning that scammers are targeting Cessnock residents pretending to be the Australian Taxation Office.
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Cessnock resident Kim Tracey received two calls in one day threatening her with jail if she didn’t call a number and pay money.
Greens council candidate David Atwell said a man who claimed to be a federal agent, called and told him an arrest warrant would be filed against him regarding breaches of federal government taxation and criminal acts.
The person had Mr Atwell’s name, address, phone number and even knew that he was on a disability pension.
In these two cases, the residents realised it was a scam and knew not to hand over any information.
But there is a vulnerable section of the community that may not be aware.
There are obviously people out there who these scammers have managed to con into coughing up their personal information or even money.
From January to May this year, 226 Australians handed over $1.2 million to fraudsters and more than 1900 gave out some form of personal information, including tax file numbers.
You often hear stories about these stories on TV and in the news, but some may think that it won’t happen to them.
The good thing about these stories is that they help others to be aware of what scams are going around and what to look out for.
Government organisation Scamwatch said that this tax-time, scammers have been telling people that they are entitled to a refund, that they owe money or asking to confirm, update or disclose personal details.
They also advised that scammers are often aggressive so that people feel pressured into paying them or giving them information quickly.
You can never be too cautious about these things. Even if you have the slightest inkling that someone who has contacted you may be a scammer, hang up and call the tax office directly on 1800 008 540.
Don’t reply to emails that appear suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on any links in the email. You can also forward these emails to the tax office - ReportEmailFraud@ato.gov.au.
Personal information can be found easily online, so don’t be fooled into thinking the caller is legitimate if they know details about you.
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
