SCAMMERS are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to score a quick buck and if it wasn’t for his astuteness and previous experience working in IT, Doug Ezard of Hamilton, may have been fooled by the appearance of an email purportedly sent by myGov regarding a tax refund.

Mr Ezard became suspicious by the myGov signature at the bottom of the email that did not look quite right to him.

“I thought, that’s gotta be a scam,” he said.

“But it looked very much like a legitimate email from myGov, but it’s obviously another phishing campaign.

“I wasn’t prepared to click on the link to see where it would lead to, but it would probably ask for your details if you clicked on the link, or for a payment to receive the refund.

“I just wanted people to be on the lookout and be aware.”

At the end of the financial year, scammers have taken the opportunity to deceive people by purporting to be a government agency such as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) offering a refund. 

The scammers know that people might be expecting a legitimate notification from the ATO, who unsuspectingly respond to the scam email and unwittingly provide personal information or even payments.

This particular phishing scam claims to come from myGov and could steal personal details, account numbers, or credit card credentials. 

Mr Ezard wanted locals to be on the watch for an email with the subject line: “You have an outstanding refund from myGov”.