A scam seeking to take advantage of Australians looking forward to their tax return appears to be on the rise.
The scam takes the form of an email purporting to come from myGov, which is the website providing a portal to a range of federal government services, including Centrelink, Medicare and the Australian Taxation Office.
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The email appears alarmingly legitimate, copying the official myGov logo and using language similar to that used by government agencies.
“You have an outstanding refund from myGov,” reads one iteration of the scam email, supplied to 7NEWS.com.au.
“Our transaction management system detects that you are entitled to receive this payment.
“Your refund is available online.
“To accept fast payment online click on the following link and save the refund information.”
The email provides a hyperlink with the text, “access your form” or “secure form”.
According to Services Australia, the link will take users to a website that seeks to gain personal information or download an attachment.
“If you get an email like this, don’t open any links, download attachments or respond,” Services Australia says.
“We’ll never ask you to open a link or a file attached to an email.”
The agency…
