A new ATO app feature lets you confirm a tax call is genuine in under 30 seconds. Here’s hon how it works and why the timing matters for small business owners.
What’s happening: The Australian Taxation Office has launched a new in-app feature that allows Australians to verify in real time whether a call claiming to be from the ATO is genuine.
Scam calls pretending to be from the Australian Taxation Office are not a new problem. But they are a growing one, and they are getting harder to detect. The ATO recorded almost 7,500 ATO impersonation scams in July 2025 alone, and is warning Australians that the same tactics ramp up every tax time as scammers target people expecting to hear from the tax office.
Now, for the first time, Australians have a real-time tool to check whether a call is genuine before they say another word.
The ATO has launched a new verify call feature inside the ATO app, allowing users to confirm within 30 seconds whether the person on the other end of the line is actually from the ATO. The process is straightforward. When a call comes in claiming to be from the ATO, the user opens the app, logs in, and selects the verify call option. If a notification confirming the call is genuine does not appear within 30 seconds, the ATO says to treat it as a scam and hang up.
ATO Assistant Commissioner Anita Challen said the feature shifts control back to taxpayers. “Scammers are becoming increasingly savvy, making it harder for individuals to distinguish between illegitimate and genuine contact. This powerful security measure means fraudsters will find it harder to pretend to impersonate the ATO, Australians will have more control of their accounts and more certainty that they are dealing with the real tax office.”
The verify call feature is part of the ATO’s broader Counter Fraud Program and sits alongside existing fraud protections already built into the app, including real-time messages when key changes are made to a taxpayer’s account, and account locking to prevent unauthorised access or fraudulent activity.
To use the feature, taxpayers need to download the ATO app and register their device. The most secure way to sign in is using myID, and the ATO recommends ensuring myID is set up to the highest identity strength for maximum protection.
With tax time on the horizon, Challen issued a direct warning. “April Fool’s may have passed but don’t be fooled by fraudsters attempting to access your tax and super accounts. Scammers are primed for the opportunity during tax time to try to take advantage of taxpayers who may be expecting communications from the ATO. When in doubt, stop and check, before responding or acting on a call or message claiming to be from the ATO.”
For anyone who receives a suspicious call, SMS, email, or social media message claiming to be from the ATO, the advice is clear. Do not reply, click on any links, or download any attachments. Australians can visit the ATO’s verify or report a scam page to check or report suspicious contact, or call the ATO directly on 1800 008 540 if personal information or payment has already been shared with a scammer.
Visit ato.gov.au/scamsafe for more information on how to protect personal information and stay safe from scammers.
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