Ato Refund Scam - Be Aware!!!

[wylie]

I just received an email supposedly from the ATO and, smelling a rat, googled ATO refund scam (or similar words) and found this .....

http://www.ato.gov.au/corporate/content.asp?doc=/content/00176435.htm

Just in case anybody else receives this, and has not heard or twigged that it is a scam, please be aware, and delete it.

 

[Ausprop]

I was trying to flog off some old junk and I keep getting these crazy people claiming to be on oil rigs and crusie ships that agree to buy my stuff site unseen but can only pay with paypal. have been chatting to 'Chris' who keeps avoiding my question of what rig he is on.... he will pay me then his 'agent' will apparantly collect the goods and sign the transfer papers - seems I have lost my current registration for my dining table tho !!

 

[wobbycarly]

Got 2 scam emails today, purportedly from Bigpond billing. But they sent it to the wrong email address!

But my colleague (who is not stoo-pid) got one similar several months ago, and it looked so legit, he got 'sucked in' - realised only moments after entering his CC details, that it was dodgy.

One must always be on one's toes.

 

[The Judge]

I was trying to flog off some old junk and I keep getting these crazy people claiming to be on oil rigs and crusie ships that agree to buy my stuff site unseen but can only pay with paypal. have been chatting to 'Chris' who keeps avoiding my question of what rig he is on.... he will pay me then his 'agent' will apparantly collect the goods and sign the transfer papers - seems I have lost my current registration for my dining table tho !!

Trying to sell a car on car sales.com.au and have had about six of these emails too. All are working overseas and will have an agent collect the car, unfortunately they do not have internet banking and can only pay by paypal.

 

[Deena]

Yes my girlfriend had similiar emails when they were selling thier car, they got to the stage were they were on to texting these supposed buyers, who were working off shore and could only pay by paypal. They were wanting to collect the car and stated the money would be transfered immediately, apparently they stand there making a "phone call", which in reality they don't. Up shot is, you transfer the money, have signed the transfer papers to you car, they drive away with the car, legally it is there's as they have the papers, you get no money and your car is on a container out of state before you can blink.

My girlfriend was so close to being done they smelled a rat at the last minute and only the next day heard on talk back radio of the scam.

 

[kathryn d]

We have actually received a cheque from a scammer. Of course it was fake. We took it to the police, but we never heard back from them.

 

[Evachange]

We have actually received a cheque from a scammer. Of course it was fake. We took it to the police, but we never heard back from them.

Fake Cheque, I remember dealing with fake bank Cheque's while working in the Bank.

People would sell goods in the trading post and the buyer (with fake id etc) would give the seller a Bank Cheque, goods gone and customer would bank the bank cheque, and of course it would get dishonoured.

Or the Bank cheque was real but altered; the Bank cheque would be purchased for $5 but later changed to show $50k.

Once the cheque was banked it would also get dishonoured.

 

[INVSTOR]

Yes my girlfriend had similiar emails when they were selling thier car, they got to the stage were they were on to texting these supposed buyers, who were working off shore and could only pay by paypal. They were wanting to collect the car and stated the money would be transfered immediately, apparently they stand there making a "phone call", which in reality they don't. Up shot is, you transfer the money, have signed the transfer papers to you car, they drive away with the car, legally it is there's as they have the papers, you get no money and your car is on a container out of state before you can blink.

My girlfriend was so close to being done they smelled a rat at the last minute and only the next day heard on talk back radio of the scam.

That must be so common in Perth! My relatives who were brother and sister were selling their cars at the same time. They both had people claiming to be from America and to do the same. Obviously they didn't go ahead as it was too suspect.

I was trying to flog off some old junk and I keep getting these crazy people claiming to be on oil rigs and crusie ships that agree to buy my stuff site unseen but can only pay with paypal. have been chatting to 'Chris' who keeps avoiding my question of what rig he is on.... he will pay me then his 'agent' will apparantly collect the goods and sign the transfer papers - seems I have lost my current registration for my dining table tho !!

Ausprop, try selling your furniture on Gumtree. It's free, and local people pay you cash on pick up. I sold half of my furniture using Gumtree.

 

[Ausprop]

Ausprop, try selling your furniture on Gumtree. It's free, and local people pay you cash on pick up. I sold half of my furniture using Gumtree.

that was where I was advertising when the scammers inundated me.

 

[Dazz]

and found this .....

http://www.ato.gov.au/corporate/content.asp?doc=/content/00176435.htm

I had to click that clicky-link only to have the Tax Commissioner advise that I should not be clicking any little clicky-link embedded in any post or email.....instead should go the long way around and type in the specific 143 character web address.


Yeah right - loike that's gonna happen. Nowadays people won't lift their thumb if they can get away with not doing it.

 

[Deena]

Yes gumtree was where my girlfriend was selling her car from too.

There is a place you can report scams to www.spam.acma.gov.au they will accept all forms of scams, I sent them a copy of a text scam which informed me I had won 600.000 pounds, I only had to send a email with code on it, it was from Nokia who were celebrating 40 years!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[zed_kid]

I had to click that clicky-link only to have the Tax Commissioner advise that I should not be clicking any little clicky-link embedded in any post or email.....instead should go the long way around and type in the specific 143 character web address.


Yeah right - loike that's gonna happen. Nowadays people won't lift their thumb if they can get away with not doing it.

HEY! it’s not lazy, its efficient

 

[Sunfish]

We have actually received a cheque from a scammer. Of course it was fake. We took it to the police, but we never heard back from them.

There is a scam where the cheque is for more than the correct amount and they want change. Of course the cheque bounces.