It’s tax time and the scammers are onto it.
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Locals have reported threatening phone calls from scammers pretending to be from the Australian Tax Office.
Police from the Lachlan Local Area Command have taken a number of enquiries about these threats and advise people to hang up if they get such a call.
“The caller states that the person owes money and if they do not pay it immediately, a warrant will be signed for their arrest,” Crime Prevention Officer Senior Constable Daniel Greef said.
Sen Con Greef said the ATO did not operate like that and warrants were not ‘signed’ in this way.
“We often see this type of scam pop up at this time of year,” said Senior Constable Greef said.
“We all need to remain vigilant when taking phone calls as scammers have a variety of methods they use. It doesn’t mean we should be scared, we all just need to be cautious and aware to recognise scams.”
Police advise that if you receive a call from someone claiming they have an arrest warrant and demand you pay a fee, hang up and do not respond.
If you have any concerns about the identity of any caller that claims to be from a government department, contact the body directly.
Do not give personal information to anyone on the phone, unless you made the call and the phone number is from a trusted source.
For more information on scams, please check the Scamwatch website: www.scamwatch.gov.au
