'Australian Taxation Office 'New Rules' Malware Emails

Outline
Emails purporting to be from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) claim that new rules for ABN numbers are being introduced and that recipients should follow a link in the message to access more information about the changes.



Brief Analysis
The emails are not from the ATO. Links in the messages lead to a fraudulent website that harbours malware. If you receive one of these emails, do not click any links or open any attachments that the message may contain.

Enter your email address to subscribe to the Hoax-Slayer Newsletter:

Scroll down to submit comments
Last updated: 15th September 2011
First published: 15th September 2011
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer

Example


Detailed Analysis
A large number of fraudulent emails purporting to be from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is currently being distributed by cybercriminals . The messages claim that new rules regarding the use of the Australian Business Number (ABN) are set to be introduced. The emails urge recipients to click a link to read more detailed information about the supposed rule changes. Some versions have the subject line "Australian Taxation Office – New rules". Others have the subject line "Attention for the ABN owners" or "Attention to all holders of TFN \ Business name". There may also be other subject line variations.

The messages are not from the ATO. Links in the emails lead to a bogus website that harbours malware. Those who visit the bogus website may be tricked into downloading and installing this malware. Once installed, the malware may collect passwords and other personal information from the compromised computer and relay it to Internet criminals. The scam messages use From lines disguised so that they appear to be genuine ATO email addresses.

The Australian Government has issued a warning to the public about these malware emails via its Stay Smart Online Alert Service. A warning about the malware emails has also been published on the ATO website.

The versions of the scam emails that I have received so far have the actual message contained in an attached .txt file that contains HTML code. If you receive an email claiming to be from the ATO, do not open any attachments that it may contain. Do not follow any links in the email. Do not reply to the email. The ATO will never send you a generic, unsolicited email that asks you to open an attachment or supply or access information by following a link.



References
Potentially malicious spam emails are circulating about the ATO - SSO-AL2011-025
ATO - Phishing Scams

comments powered by Disqus

---

Pages in this month's issue:

1. Jordon Mills Prayer Request
2. Amy Bruce Charity Hoax Revisited
3. 'Australian Taxation Office 'New Rules' Malware Emails
4. Bogus Facebook Virus Warning - 'Pornographic Movies Posted On Our Behalf'
5. Are UK Companies Required by Law To Transfer 0800 Callers to UK Based Reps If Requested?
6. Australia Post Undelivered Package Malware Emails
7. Hoax: Picture of Shark Swimming in Flooded Street After Hurricane Irene
8. Circulating Health Warning: Beware of Little White and Black Caterpillars
9. Harly A. Andrews Prayer Request
10. UEFA EURO 2012 Email Draw Advance Fee Scam
11. Farmville White Gift Box Virus Warning Hoax
12. Sleazy Online Dating Emails Carry Malware
13. 'New Antivirus Update for Windows' Scam Email
14. Western Union 'Money Transfer' Trojan Email
15. Bob Katter and the 'Labor Party's Worst Nightmare' Polemic
16. Hoax - Collect Bottle Caps For Free Cancer Chemotherapy Treatment
17. 'Your Credit Card is Blocked' Malware Emails