Is It Actually The ATO Calling Or Is It A Scam?

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To help combat this, and other data security concerns, the ATO have added greater security features to their ATO app to help taxpayers keep their personal information secure. These features are available to individual and sole traders using the app.

Verify call

The Verify call feature helps protect users against scam calls. If your client receives a call claiming to be from the ATO, they can verify the call is genuinely from us using the ATO app on their registered device.

Real time messages

The ATO app will notify users in real time when key changes are made to their ATO account. ATO app messages will be sent with a push notification when:

• an income tax lodgement is made.
• a user’s bank account details are updated, including changes to use your practice’s trust account details.
• other changes are made to account details, such as when a user's ATO online account is linked to a different myGov account.

Users will then be able to act if something doesn’t look right.

Account lock & unlock

Where users are concerned about unauthorised access, they can use the ATO app to lock their ATO account and help keep it safe. This helps to ensure only the taxpayer or their registered tax practitioner can access their details, make changes or lodge returns on their behalf. Once an ATO account is locked the following will occur:

• the user will be logged out of the ATO app.
• a confirmation will be emailed to the user.
• the user will not be able to log in to ATO online services.
• no refunds will issue.

If a user has locked their account due to suspected fraud, they must phone us as soon as possible to discuss their concerns. Where fraud is confirmed, we will put further controls in place to protect their information. When they’re ready, users can unlock their ATO account from within the app. They must use the same registered device they used to lock it.

You can download the official ATO app, available from Google Play or the App Store.