iscoverTax season, one CEO says, is a key moment to prove to clients that “you're not just reactive, but proactive”, when it comes to countering tax-time scams.
‘Increasingly sophisticated’ tax-time scams require proactivity from accountants
08 August 2025
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7 minute read
In the face of the recent surge in ATO-related fraud, it remains essential for firms to remain vigilant, as tactics such as fake portals, invoice redirection, and stolen credentials are increasingly used to exploit time-poor finance teams.
Eftsure chief executive David Higgins (pictured) said scammers are using tax time to target businesses with ATO-style scams that look real and arrive at the perfect moment.
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“Many teams still rely on outdated checks like phone or email confirmation, which these scams can easily bypass. Under pressure to process payments fast, one small slip can lead to major financial loss,” he said.
In conversation with Accountants Daily, Higgins said that, with tax season in full swing, ATO impersonation scams via phone, SMS and email “continue to dominate”, often by way of promising fake refunds or threatening legal action.
These scams increase every year around tax time, he said, and are “becoming more sophisticated”.
These scams exploit urgency and familiarity, he continued.
“Clients trust messages that appear to come from the ATO. The problem is that internal checks often don’t catch them.”
“Accountants can help clients adopt multi-factor verification practices to validate messages through a second, independent channel.”
When asked what practical steps accountants need to take at this critical juncture to prevent issues for their clients, Higgins said professionals must educate clients to avoid clicking links in unsolicited tax messages.
“Encourage them to verify any communication directly via official ATO channels. Internally, firms should embed a culture of multi-factor verification for all payment- or tax-related decisions,” he said.
“Tax season is a moment to show clients you're not just reactive, but proactive.”
“Sharing insights on emerging scams and modelling verification-first behaviours helps strengthen client trust and reduces risk across the board,” he said.
Ultimately, Higgins said, scammers “don’t target systems — they target people”.
“Multi-factor verification helps prevent fraud at the source by ensuring no single message or process triggers a financial decision without independent confirmation.”
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