Alert: ATO Tax Payment Notification

In case others receive emails purporting to be from the tax department offering a refund, I decided to check out the email I received today and share the information with others.

The email had the subject ATO Tax Payment Notification.
It stated that I'm owed  614.25 AUD.
There is an attachment ato-tax-refund-notification-form-a2u0y5g9dp516zzy.zip.

The attached zip file contained an exe file and scanning this file revealed it contained malware.

Even without scanning the file it was evident this was going to be malware or a phishing attempt.  The language of the email isn't at the level of communication expected from the ATO. The amount owing isn't in a form we'd normally use in Australia. The email was sent from the US and not from Australia.

If your instinct suggests something may not seem right with an email, trust your instinct. A lot of people I've spoken to have told me they felt something may not have been right with the email shortly before they infected their computer. If it smells fishy, it probably is.

You should delete these emails as soon as you receive them.

Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.onlineconnections.com.au/