Online Safety: How to Protect Your Personal Details and Avoid Identity Theft

Occasionally we receive reports of people receiving an email that appears to be from Etax Accountants or from their bank, but which is actually a hoax. The email contains a link to a fraudulent website that could collect your personal details.

These hoax (or ‘phishing’) emails are usually removed by your email spam filter or antivirus program (which should always be turned ‘on’ and kept up to date) but occasionally they may reach your inbox.

Please remember: Do not click on the links within a suspected fraudulent email.

Fraudsters are creating false websites and trying to collect your private logins, Tax File Number and other personal details. In some cases, phishing emails can also infect a user’s computer with a virus or malware.

If you suspect you received a hoax email, please do not click on any link within the message – simply delete it from your inbox.

How to Spot ‘Phishing’ or Fraudulent Emails:

1.
Hover your mouse over any links before you click the links. When you hover your mouse pointer over linked text, most email programs will show you the actual web link.

If the link it shows you doesn’t match the blue linked text, stop right there and delete the email message.

2.
When you visit a site or log in, always look carefully at the web address of the page you are on. Does it look right? If it seems suspicious, stop.

You can always phone Etax Accountants (or any other legitimate business) to speak to someone in person to check you are on the right website.

3.
Does anything else look wrong?

Email and website scams often make unreasonable ‘offers’ or ask for information that just doesn’t make sense…

Message claims you will receive an unexpected refund or other money
Message asks for personal details that you know have been provided before
Asks for your email password

If anything raises your suspicion, stop and don’t enter your personal details. You can always reach Etax Accountants by phone, and you can ask us to reset your login if you are concerned about your privacy.

‘Good’ Emails from Etax Accountants

From time to time, we may send you an email with links to our website, asking you to login and respond to an accountant’s questions. Also we periodically send newsletters with tax tips and links to our blog.

If you click on a link in one of our emails you will always be taken to an Etax Accountants webpage such as www.etax.com.au or https://secure.etax.com.au.

If you are ever unsure whether an email from us is safe, please give us a call on 1300 693 829. We can then check your file for any correspondence we’ve sent you and confirm the email you’ve received is real.

Please remember, Etax.com.au will only send you an email with links to one of our sites, such as www.etax.com.au or https://secure.etax.com.au.

If you receive an email that you believe to be a hoax, please delete it immediately.

Did you enter your private information on an unknown website?

• Contact us right away so we can reset your password
• Reset your private email account password
• Contact the Australian Tax Office’s Client Identity Support Centre for help with getting a new TFN
• Do a virus scan on your computer using an up-to-date antivirus program

Learn more about online safety

Remember: There are so many online and email scams, nobody can learn about them all – so it’s important to learn rules and good habits for online safety and to be cautious.

• The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) recommends some easy steps to reduce the risk of being targeted by cybercriminals:
  https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/
• The Australian Taxation Office tries to keep up to date with the latest scams, published at the ATO website:
  https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Online-services/Identity-security/
• ABC News have put together a helpful quiz to test your knowledge of potential scams:
  https://www.abc.net.au/