Scammers posing as the ATO have stolen more than $800 000 from Australians in the past month, using software that resembles a legitimate phone number, and then threatening jail or deportation.
There were more than 37,000 reports of scammers in November, with one elderly person losing more than $230,000 over 5 months.
The ATO has said they will never request payment of debts via iTunes gift cards, prepaid visa cards or cryptocurrency and will never request a fee to release funds.