ATO issues tax scam warning

The Australian Taxation Office has urged people to be vigilant about a new scam doing the rounds.

The ATO has detected an increase in fake websites offering to provide tax file numbers (TFN) and Australian business numbers (ABN) for a fee – but, instead, using the websites to steal consumers' money and personal information.

These fake services are often advertised on social media.

It is free and easy to use government services to apply for a TFN and apply for an ABN.

ATO assistant commissioner Tim Loh said scammers are constantly finding new ways to target the community.

“We are concerned about a recent increase in the number of victims reporting scams around TFN and ABN applications," he said.

"We are also still seeing scammers impersonating the ATO, making threats, demanding the payment of fake tax debts or claiming a TFN has been ‘suspended’ due to fraud.”