A scammer claiming to be from the Australian Taxation Office has launched a foul-mouthed tirade on a radio host after he was told the conversation was being recorded.
ABC radio presenter Nick Rheinberger received a voicemail on Tuesday informing him he was accused of tax fraud and needed to return the call immediately to prevent the matter from being taken to the ‘local district court’.
‘I’m calling you from the Australian Taxation Office to inform you that you received a legal complaint under your name and the complaint is for tax avoidance and tax fraud,’ the scammer, who claimed to be called Michael Anderson, said.
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ABC radio presenter Nick Rheinberger (pictured) received a voicemail on Tuesday informing him he was accused of tax fraud and needed to return the call immediately to prevent the matter from being taken to the ‘local district court’
‘Before we go ahead and take the matter to the local district court, and before we issue a warrant under your name, call us back on this number.’
Mr Rehinberger, a radio presenter in Wollongong, returned the call before sharing the recorded conversation with his listeners.
When he dialed the number, a man picked up the phone saying: ‘Hello, Australian Taxation Office, can I help you?’
Mr Rheinberger introduced himself and said: ‘I got a message on my phone yesterday about some sort of impending’ before he was cut off by the scam artist asking for his phone number.
When Mr Rheinberger told the man he was recording the conversation, the call immediately went south.
When he dialed the number, a man picked up the phone saying: ‘Hello, Australian Taxation Office, can I help you?’ (stock)
‘F*** you and put this recording into your a*** as well, mother*****,’ the scammer said (stock)
‘F*** you and put this recording into your a*** as well, mother*****,’ the man said.
‘Right, yeah that’s what I’d expect from the Australian Taxation Office,’ Mr Rheinberger said sarcastically.
‘Go and get f*****, go and f*** your mum,’ the scammer said.
The call finished with the scammer hanging up and Mr Rheinberger laughing quietly to himself.
Australians have been scammed out of $1.5 million since the beginning of the year, from people claiming to be from the ATO.
The ATO (office pictured) has been forced to issue regular warnings about scammers claiming to be from the government office
The ATO has been forced to issue regular warnings about scammers claiming to be from the government office.
‘If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from the ATO, do not click on any links, open attachments or respond to the sender,’ it said.
‘The ATO will never threaten you with immediate arrest, ask you to pay money and to receive a refund or payment from us.
‘(It) will never ask you to pay a debt via iTunes vouchers, or pre-paid credit cards.’