Sydney: The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has reportedly warned the social media users about their vulnerability to possible identity fraud following a multi-prolonged identity fraud attack earlier this year.
According to a news website, the ATO has established a new team of identity crime busters in the organisation and has cautioned netizens using social media that criminals had perpetrated the scam using data stolen from a taxpayer`s online activities.
One of the ATO`s second commissioners, Geoff Leeper said that the attack earlier this year had been detected and stopped, and the loss of money was minimal and added that although the organisation didn`t get 100 per cent but got the majority of it once they identified the form of attack.
Leeper warned that such attacks are caused as a result of theft of an identity and said that people need to be incredibly cautious with their online identities as it is possible for someone who is not that careful to make it easier for someone to steal their identity.
The report said that ATO`s client identity unity established in Canberra will operate throughout the country and Leeper further noted that the team needs to be as vigilant as the criminal s because the attackers would ping different parts of the government system until they find a weak door.
A counsel with the Tax Institute of Australia, Deepti Paton said that the establishment of the new unit was a `welcome move` as there was an increase year on year in identity fraud and it is a very sensible initiative.
She further added that because of the high level of cash transactions that goes on around lodgement of tax returns, it was quite important to stay ahead of these things rather than wait and see, the report added.
ANI
