Media: Protecting your personal information
https://tv.ato.gov.au/ato-tv/media?v=bi9or7ortxgn96External Link (Duration: 0:30)
Take a sec to check
Scammers:
- aim to take advantage of weak security
- plan on you being distracted with everyday life.
To keep yourself safe:
- Stop – Don't share your personal information – such as your myGov sign in details, tax file number (TFN) or bank account details – with anyone unless you trust the person and they genuinely require your details.
- Check – Take a sec to check. Ask yourself could the message or call be fake? Is it really the ATO contacting you?
- Protect – Act quickly if something feels wrong or you've noticed suspicious activity on your ATO accounts.
Always be aware of what information you share. Scammers can use your personal information to access your bank account, sign into your myGov account, or steal money and commit fraud in your name.
If an interaction doesn’t feel right, don't engage. Instead:
- visit Verify or report a scam
- check our latest Scam alerts
- call us on 1800 008 540 to confirm.
If you are the victim of a data breach and your personal information has been accessed, go to Data breach guidance for individuals.
Your personal information
To commit identity crime or fraud, scammers only need some of your personal information. This may include:
- full name
- date of birth
- current address
- myGov and ATO online login details
- TFN
- passwords
- bank account numbers
- credit card details
- driver's licence details
- passport details.
Scammers can misuse stolen personal information in many ways, such as to commit refund fraud in your name, access your myGov account, steal your superannuation or sell your identity to organised crime groups.
If you suspect your personal information, such as your TFN, has been stolen, misused or compromised, phone us as soon as possible on 1800 467 033 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm AEST, Monday to Friday.
Consequences of identity theft
Identity theft can have long‑lasting consequences that go well beyond immediate financial loss. For example, your super may be stolen or refund fraud committed in your name.
Identity theft can also lead to serious personal and professional challenges, including:
- damage to your credit rating, making it harder to get a loan or credit card
- difficulty proving your identity and replacing important identity documents
- harm to your reputation, including potential access to your social media accounts and misuse of your online presence.
Victims often spend years repairing the damage and restoring their identity.
The emotional toll is also significant. Many people experience stress, anxiety and a sense of vulnerability knowing someone else can exploit their personal information at any time.
Protect yourself
Our top tips to keep your personal information safe are:
- Don't give out your personal information to anyone unless you trust the person and they genuinely require your details.
- Always access online services by directly typing the URL into a browser, not by clicking on a link.
- Protect your TFN – only give your TFN to organisations or people who have a legitimate need for it, such as your tax agent, current employer or bank. It's important to verify that the person you're giving your TFN to is who they say they are.
- Never share your passwords – consider using passphrasesExternal Link instead of passwords, a password manager can help you generate or store passphrases. You should also consider updating them regularly.
- Enable multifactor authentication – if scammers obtain your password, multi-factor authenticationExternal Link will make it significantly harder for them to access your account.
- Keep your devices up to date – Scammers can use viruses, malware and programs to access or steal your personal information on your devices including phones, computers and tablets.
- Use your Digital ID (such as myID), set to the strongest level you can achieve, to access ATO online services through myGov.
- Set up Voice authentication to help us identify you and protect your tax account.
For more information about:
- myID, see How to set up myIDExternal Link.
- cyber security tips, visit Top cyber security tips for individuals.
- securing your devices, visit Australian Cyber Security CentreExternal Link.
How we keep your information safe
We take the security and privacy of your personal information seriously. We use a range of measures to keep your data and online transactions with us safe and secure.
We protect your information by:
- confirming your details when you contact us
- using secure systems and controls
- logging access to your information so we can detect any unusual activity.
To help keep you safe online, we:
- never ask for your TFN or bank details via return email, SMS or social media
- only share your information with your consent, unless the law allows otherwise.
How we communicate with you
We may use SMS or email to ask you to contact us, but we will never send an unsolicited message with a link asking you to return personal information or log in to our online services.
We are on FacebookExternal Link, InstagramExternal Link, XExternal Link and LinkedInExternal Link, but we will never use these platforms to ask you to provide personal information, documentation or ask you to make payments.
Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra