Highlights

  • A 36% rise to 3,265 implies July reports of roughly 2,400.
  • For the 2026–27 financial year to date, which covers July and August, the split was 98.6% email, 0.8% phone and 0.5% SMS.
  • Applied to the August total, those percentages work out to approximately:
  • The August jump came as the 2025–26 lodgment season was well under way.

ATO impersonation scam reports rose 36% to 3,265 in August, with 98.6% arriving by email, as the tax office warns about a fake appointment email that leads to a counterfeit myGov sign-in page. Reports of scams impersonating the ATO rose sharply in August, and the tax office's latest data shows that almost all of them now land in people's inboxes. With millions of Australians lodging 2025–26 tax returns and waiting on refunds ahead of the 31 October self-lodger deadline, email has become the main channel for fake ATO messages, including one that claims a phone appointment has already been booked for you.

What the August figures show

The channel split was lopsided. The ATO's page reports the number and type of reports, but it does not report dollar losses, so there is no official figure on how much money these scams have cost victims. The data does not explain the cause of the increase, and a single month's movement does not necessarily signal a lasting trend. During tax time, many people are anticipating refunds, notices of assessment and contact from their tax agent, which can make a message about an appointment or a payment update seem plausible. What the figures do make clear is that email has become the dominant channel.

The fake 'phone appointment' email

One of the scams the ATO has warned about arrived in July. The email says a phone appointment with the ATO has been booked, and it gives a date, a time and the type of appointment. It then invites the recipient to open an attachment to reschedule. That attachment leads to a fake myGov sign-in page designed to capture login details. The ATO says anyone who has been caught by this scam should call 1800 008 540. The format works because it borrows the look of routine administration. An appointment confirmation does not ask for money up front, and the attachment appears to offer a convenient way to change the time.

Other tactics the ATO has flagged

The ATO's scam alerts page lists several other email scams from this year. In February, it warned about an email claiming the recipient holds cryptocurrency in a "non-KYC decentralised wallet" and demanding that they call to declare it. The ATO says it does not demand asset disclosure or threaten arrest by email or SMS. In September, it warned about a malware email about a "payment update" or a request to "review your income statement". Opening it installs remote-desktop software that can give scammers control of a computer. The common thread is a prompt to act outside official channels, whether that means opening an attachment, calling a number supplied in the message or signing in through a link. Several also rely on urgency or the threat of consequences. Across these alerts, the ATO's central message is the same. It "will never send an unsolicited message that directs you to a log in page". Hypothetical example: Priya lodged her 2025–26 tax return two weeks ago and is expecting a refund. She receives an email headed "ATO phone appointment confirmed", stating that a call has been booked for 10am next Tuesday regarding her return.