AUSTRALIANS are being warned to ignore a scam email claiming to be from the tax office and offering refunds.
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has issued the warning, saying the email includes realistic-looking features - including the tax office logo - to make it look genuine.
Bogus emails sent to people have included the words "Notification - Please read" or "Australian Taxation Office - Please Read This" in the subject heading.
The email contains a link that directs people to a fake ATO website which then asks for credit card and personal details.
Anyone who receives the unsolicited emails claiming to be from the ATO should delete them immediately, Tax Commissioner Michael D'Ascenzo says.
"As an extra precaution we recommend you type internet addresses directly into your internet browser rather than clicking on links embedded in emails," he said.
Bogus sites are often hard to shut down because they are set up in multiple locations on the internet, making them difficult to track down.
Those who believe they may have fallen victim to the scam are urged to contact their credit card provider.
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The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has warned against a fraudulent email claiming to be from the ATO. The email, which is similar to previous scams, uses the ATO logo and has the subject line of ‘Notification - Please read’, ‘Australian Taxation Office - Please read’ or other variations.

The email directs recipients to a bogus website that looks similar to the ATO website and requests credit card and personal details.

"People should be wary of unsolicited emails claiming to be from the Tax Office," says Tax Commissioner Michael D’Ascenzo.

"As an extra precaution we recommend you type internet addresses directly into your internet browser rather than clicking on links embedded in emails," added D'Ascenzo who also stated that anyone who receives the email should delete it immediately.

Anyone who believes they may have fallen victim to this scam are urged to contact their credit card provider.

The ATO Says that it does not send any unsolicited emails.