A person claiming to be from the ATO is ringing up, saying you have been over-paid and your government (pension/Centrelink/parenting) payments will be stopped if you don’t send money to them, the Lachlan Local Area Command posted to Facebook.

“Some people have said that the scammers have been quite aggressive on the phone.

“Some of the scammers tell the person to send money via Western Union transfer and tell the person to only ring from a pay phone. These are some indicators that the call is a scam.”

Police warn that you should not give any information out over the phone, and do not send money.

You can check on any communication from the ATO that you aren’t sure about, or report a phone scam, by phoning them on 13 28 61 from 8am–6pm Monday to Friday.

You can report unsolicited emails claiming to be from the ATO by forwarding the entire email to ReportEmailFraud@ato.gov.au

If you think you have been a victim of a tax-related scam, phone 13 28 61 immediately, because your personal details, including your TFN, may be compromised.

You should also contact your bank/financial institution as soon as possible if you provided your credit card details as part of the suspected scam.