What are the red flags of this scam?

A caller claims to be from the ATO and threatens arrest, deportation, or an AFP warrant for unpaid tax • Payment demanded by Bitcoin, iTunes gift cards, Google Play cards, Amazon vouchers, or cardless cash — the ATO never accepts these • You are told not to hang up while you drive to a Bitcoin ATM or newsagent to buy the cards • Caller ID displays a real ATO number (13 28 61) or an 02 Canberra number — this is number spoofing, not proof • The caller has some real information about you (name, address) — data brokers and past breaches supply these details • A second 'AFP officer' or 'Immigration officer' comes on the line during the same call to reinforce the urgency

What should I do if this happened to me?

Hang up. The ATO does not threaten arrest or demand payment by phone. Real ATO tax debts are notified by letter to your myGov inbox and resolved via https://www.ato.gov.au • Check your actual tax position by logging into myGov at https://my.gov.au — type the URL yourself, do not use any link the caller sends • Verify by calling the ATO on 1800 008 540 (the ATO's Scam reporting line) or the number on your last ATO letter — never call back the number that just rang you • If you have already sent money or gift-card codes, contact your bank and the gift-card issuer immediately — some transactions can be reversed within hours • If you installed any 'support' or 'server' or 'refund app' or remote-access app at the scammer's request (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Quick Support, etc.), run free SeraphSecure (https://www.seraphsecure.com) to detect and remove it. • Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

HIGH government impersonation Last reported: 15 Oct 2026 Share

A caller says you owe the ATO tax and police are coming unless you pay by gift card

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. A caller claims to be from the ATO saying you have unpaid tax and there is a warrant for your arrest. Pay immediately by Bitcoin, iTunes/Google Play cards, or bank transfer to a "holding account" — or police, AFP officers, and Immigration will come to your address. The ATO never demands payment by gift card and never threatens arrest by phone.

A caller claims to be from the ATO saying you have unpaid tax and there is a warrant for your arrest. Pay immediately by Bitcoin, iTunes/Google Play cards, or bank transfer to a "holding account" — or police, AFP officers, and Immigration will come to your address. The ATO never demands payment by gift card and never threatens arrest by phone.

Also known as: fake ATO tax debt call, ATO arrest warrant scam, Australian Taxation Office phone scam, myGov / ATO impersonation call

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
! If you installed any "support", "server", "refund", or remote-access app at their request (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Quick Support, etc.): disconnect the internet now, then run free SeraphSecure (https://www.seraphsecure.com) to detect and remove it.

What to do right now

1 Hang up. The ATO does not threaten arrest or demand payment by phone. Real ATO tax debts are notified by letter to your myGov inbox and resolved via https://www.ato.gov.au
2 Check your actual tax position by logging into myGov at https://my.gov.au — type the URL yourself, do not use any link the caller sends
3 Verify by calling the ATO on 1800 008 540 (the ATO's Scam reporting line) or the number on your last ATO letter — never call back the number that just rang you
4 If you have already sent money or gift-card codes, contact your bank and the gift-card issuer immediately — some transactions can be reversed within hours
5 If you installed any 'support' or 'server' or 'refund app' or remote-access app at the scammer's request (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Quick Support, etc.), run free SeraphSecure (https://www.seraphsecure.com) to detect and remove it.
6 Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

Was remote-access software installed?

If a scammer asked you to install AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Quick Support, or any remote-access app, your device may still be compromised.

Run SeraphSecure to detect and remove it →

Red flags

⚠ A caller claims to be from the ATO and threatens arrest, deportation, or an AFP warrant for unpaid tax
⚠ Payment demanded by Bitcoin, iTunes gift cards, Google Play cards, Amazon vouchers, or cardless cash — the ATO never accepts these
⚠ You are told not to hang up while you drive to a Bitcoin ATM or newsagent to buy the cards
⚠ Caller ID displays a real ATO number (13 28 61) or an 02 Canberra number — this is number spoofing, not proof
⚠ The caller has some real information about you (name, address) — data brokers and past breaches supply these details
⚠ A second 'AFP officer' or 'Immigration officer' comes on the line during the same call to reinforce the urgency

Known variants

'Australia Post fine' variant: caller pretends to be from Australia Post claiming you have unpaid customs duty on a parcel and threatens the parcel will be destroyed and you'll be fined by ATO/AFP for smuggling. Payment by gift card demanded. Same script, different pretext.

Last seen: 6/10/2026
ACCC or NASC impersonation: caller spoofs a real ACCC number, claims you are a fraud victim in a national investigation, requests personal details or a fee to 'release compensation'. ACCC never cold-calls. Multicultural-community variants use other languages, misusing 'ACCC' to name an unrelated organisation.

Last seen: 9/27/2026
ATO email malware: email says 'you have a new payment update' or 'review your income statement' — clicking the link downloads malicious remote desktop software (AnyDesk, RDC) giving scammers full device access. Email is timed to tax lodgement season. ATO never sends links; always log in directly at my.gov.au.

Last seen: 9/30/2026
ATO crypto non-KYC wallet email: email claims you hold cryptocurrency in a 'non-KYC decentralised wallet' and must call a number immediately to declare it or face legal action. May include attachments. The ATO never emails demands about undeclared crypto; any such contact is a scam — ignore, do not call, do not open attachments.

Last seen: 10/3/2026
AUSTRAC money laundering impersonation: caller posing as AUSTRAC investigator claims your bank accounts are under investigation for money laundering. Warns AUSTRAC will freeze your accounts unless you transfer funds to a 'holding account for safe-keeping'. Moves contact to WhatsApp. AUSTRAC never contacts the public unexpectedly or requests fund transfers.

Last seen: 10/5/2026
ATO fake appointment email: email says an ATO phone appointment has been scheduled with date and time, directing you to open an attachment to reschedule or access services. The attachment links to a fake myGov sign-in page harvesting credentials and SMS codes — not malware. The ATO never emails attachments containing myGov sign-in links.

Last seen: 10/14/2026
Fake AUSTRAC compliance officer targets businesses (real estate, accountants, jewellers) — sectors under active AML/CTF enforcement — claiming a compliance violation and demanding crypto payment or business records. Moves to WhatsApp; may cite real staff names. AUSTRAC never requests crypto payment or contacts businesses via WhatsApp.

Last seen: 10/15/2026

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources