Last year Australians were scammed of $14 million during tax time, are you secured enough this year? Check for your self 👇

Hey Gigsters 👋

Officially tax season has begun and all eyes will be on return lodgements until October when it will finally be the time to realise our actual savings on annual deductions.

But there’s a bigger challenge before any of that happens. Tax lodgement scams are at an all time high right now, all around the world as well as in Australia. High time to be extra careful and report any suspicious calls or messages that ask for your personal information claiming to be Tax officials.

Last year Australians lost approximately $14 million in tax scams. The ATO has recorded an average of 2000 Tax scams per month this year that can be identified in these six categories -

1. Forms and links that claim to redirect you to your ABN/ACN/TFN profile intimating you over email or messages to finish setting up your profile 📝

2. myGov impersonating sites, apps and notifications 👤🌐

3. Offering fake tax advice through messages and emails through social media or other open forums 📱

4. MFA phishing scams - hacking through sites and apps that use multiple factor verification like social logins, OTPs and passwords. 🔑

5. Quick refund promises that reflect in your bank account 💰

6. Emails or messages impersonating your accountant requiring you to urgently share your transaction details. ⚠️

What does it indicate if you have been approached by a scammer? You have logged recent tax activity which is a good indicator that your profile is up-to-date, it also indicates that your information might be compromised and security needs to be updated.

What you can do to protect yourself from scams?

• Update your financial security passwords from official website or directly contact your bank

• Look out for verifiable elements like official badges and official links for social media, websites and email addresses

• If you are unsure about a message get it cross-checked with your accountant

• Keep financial documents password protected on your device

• Report any suspicious message or link on ATO’s official website or get in touch with an ATO official through their contact form

• If you have fallen victim to a scam immediately call your bank and block activities then report it to officials

  We’ve got something super useful for our community, three all-rounder checklists that will prepare you for lodgement and help you plan for the present financial year -

  Download them and kick start your financial planning today!

  EOFY CHECKLIST FOR SOLE TRADERS AND GIG ENTREPRENEURS.pdf39.42 KB • PDF File Download

Last but not the least, a big thanks to the community for all the love that has made a finalist at the prestigious iAwards 2024 as a Merit Recipient for Top Technology platforms. We are proud of this achievement and consider this the result of your trust, love and honest feedback towards the MyGigsters App!

Winning this award will mean national-level recognition for our game-changing technology, sustainable initiative to provide safe and secured financial service for the gig economy and self-employed economy, accountants and gig platforms across Australia and cheer our dream of becoming the number one team that fuels the gig industry with all-rounder infrastructure, from bookkeeping to gig work management. 🎉 

Hope you loved this edition of the Gig Scoop! Stay tuned for more resources, discussions and latest updates…

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See you in the next edition - Go Gigsters!

Benjemen
CEO & Founder of MyGigsters