You just cannot afford to be complacent…that is the message from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), and that is the message from me!

Once again the scammers are out in force, imitating the ATO, and trying to take advantage of everyday Australians.

Only this week, a number of residents in South West Victoria have been contacted by people purporting to be from the ATO – I only hope that they were all able to recognise this as a scam.

But scams aren’t exclusive to tax related topics, many people have fallen victim to scams in other areas of their life, so I’ve provided some tips below for you to consider:

• if paying an amount for a product or service to someone you don’t know, always check the refund policy
• take a look at their website to see how forthcoming they are with information
• does the website include some contact details? Don’t be afraid to get in contact prior to making a commitment, just to see if you receive a response
• review other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, a scammer is unlikely to take the time to generate social proof

I urge everyone reading this to be aware of these schemes and please share with your family and friends.

More information about verifying or reporting a scam can be found on the ATO website, click here.

Regards