A LORQUON resident has warned Wimmera people about an Australian Taxation Office phone scam.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ron Lowe has received two calls in as many weeks from a woman claiming to be from the tax office.
“She sounds like an Indian person speaking with a slightly American accent,” he said.
“They leave a message on your answering machine saying they are contacting you about fraud.
“The caller told me I was wanted for tax evasion and threatened to instigate legal proceedings.
“They give you a number to call with an 02 prefix, which sounds like a NSW number.”
The message says the office is calling because a criminal case has been registered against the resident.
It tells people to be prepared to face legal consequences if they do not call the number provided.
Mr Lowe said he contacted the tax office after receiving the message.
“I got the office’s number from the phone book and contacted them through that,” he said.
“I could pick it as a scam straight away, but more senior people might not be aware it is and go into panic mode.
“The chap I spoke to at the tax office said he had heard of one instance where someone did ring the number provided in the message.
“If they got off the phone, the people would call back and be tapping their phone.
“The phone bill ended up costing the resident about $4000.”
Mr Lowe also reported the scam to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Stawell Police warned Wimmera residents about a similar scam in December, where callers claiming to be from the tax office or Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions team told people they were wanted for tax offences.
