Australian phone number search
Calls and texts claiming to be myGov or the ATO
By the StoryCheck team · 5 min read · Published 18 August 2026
It arrives as a text about a refund waiting, a debt owing, or an account suspended, always with a link. The call version adds a threat. Both are built to move you before you can check anything.
What the real agencies never do
The ATO does not threaten immediate arrest over the phone. It does not demand payment in gift cards, vouchers or cryptocurrency. Neither the ATO nor myGov sends a link asking you to sign in to release a refund, and a genuine refund never requires you to pay anything first.
Never sign in through a link in a message. Open the app or type the address yourself, and check whether anything is actually waiting.
Why the link version works
The sign-in page it opens is a copy, and it looks right because it was copied. What you enter goes straight to somebody who then signs in as you, changes the bank details on file and redirects a real payment. Nothing about the page looks wrong, which is exactly why the rule is about how you arrived rather than how it looks.
What to do
Do not tap the link and do not ring the number back. Open myGov yourself, or ring the agency on a number published on its own website. Report it to Scamwatch. If your details were entered, change the password and contact the agency directly. A reverse lookup tells you whether the sending number is a real mobile or an untraceable line.
| What they say | Why it is false | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sign in here to claim your refund | The page is a copy that harvests logins | Open the app yourself, never the link |
| Pay today in vouchers or crypto | No government body collects this way | Never comply |
| You will be arrested today | The ATO does not make arrests by phone | Hang up and check your account yourself |
| Stay on the line while you pay | Keeping you on the call prevents verification | Hang up and use another phone |
| Your account has been suspended | Manufactures urgency around a login | Check by opening the app directly |
Common questions
Does the ATO ever contact people by text?
It does send messages, which is what makes the fake ones effective. The rule that holds is never to sign in through a link in a message. Open the app or type the address yourself.
The number looked official. Does that mean anything?
No. Caller ID and sender names can both be set to display almost anything. Neither is proof.
I entered my details. What now?
Change the password immediately, check whether bank details on the account were altered, and contact the agency directly. Then report it to Scamwatch.
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