total scam

Call the ATO to confirm - it took me 2 minutes after becoming paranoid from this post. This number is definitely part of the ATO collections.

1300 466 859 and 1300 880 217 are the contact phone numbers for the early debt collection department at the ATO. IT IS NOT A SCAM.

You have so much hate dude.. an indian lady called kimmie asked for an employer that no longer works here and I played along that I had to double check coz it's a big office (there's only 5 people here), she asked what company she called and even after repeating it 3 times she still said it wrong so I let it go and didn't correct her. Called the ATO (132861) and spoke to an Emily and she's confirmed that 1300 880 217 is indeed one of their numbers.

1300 466 859 and 1300 880 217 are ATO debt collection contact numbers, I would suggest anyone that receive a voicemail from them to check their or the mentioned entity ATO account balance either through myGov account linked to the ATO for individuals/sole traders or using the Business Portal (Auskey is required). This will verify that you do have an outstanding debt. I would then contact these numbers if your still unsure about these numbers, either contact the ATO switchboard on 13 28 69 or the general ATO debt area on 13 11 42.

So I had a missed call from a pvt number from a woman who couldn't get my name out properly.

She sounded very convincing in her almost boganlike, nasally accent that has choked on too many big foreign cox, and I suspect she is part of this scamming ring as she's made some poor life decisions and while thinking she and this operation are rather slick, should possibly look at other ways of earning an honest living.

Maybe get back on her knees again and leave us honest (yet sometimes crude and descriptive) workers to live in peace.

To Steve, Alan, Mel and the other cohorts claiming this to be legit ATO, if some terrible tragedy strikes you or your family in the near future, maybe ask yourself if you deserved to become a victim, as I've heard from others that this particular operation has targeted the elderly and vulnerable with disgusting, predatory and bullying tactics.

The pure coincidence of the timing of these calls (not the first time I have received similar inquisitive calls in the past) from those claiming to be from the ATO, when I have been close to defaulting on a payment plan, makes me VERY SUSPICIOUS of how these leeches have obtained such confidential info.

It seems like said nasally voiced CUM GUZZLER mentioned above and her merry band who are also commenting on this thread (attempting to back up its legitimacy) and obviously in on this bottom feeding exercise, somehow have access to ATO clients info at just the right time to make them feel vulnerable and scared into making unnecessary ILLEGAL DEMANDS causing stress to coerse excessive, immediate payments.

Searching the ATO website for this number you can not find it ... so sorry ... SCAM! And you will be reported too!

This number is a scam they claimed they were the ATO but our office called the direct line for the ATO and it was NOT one of their numbers. Steer clear ignore and do not give out any personal information.

THIS IS NOT A SCAM. The ATO is contacting individuals in realtion to outstanding debts and defaulted payment plans.

DO NOT RETURN CALL TO THIS NUMBER 1300 466 859 !! THIS IS A SCAM!!

Anyone in this forum claiming that this number is indeed ATO, they too are a part of this SCAM!! Yes - Total Scum-Bags!!

I received a call end of June 2015 (ie. Tax season) by a fairly professional (well-trained in this scam) local Australian woman who stated she was "such and such" calling from ATO. The number they call from is "hidden/private." The call made to me was at approx 5:30pm.
They even say things like "This call will be recorded for quality and verification purposes etc etc."
It can certainly catch you out as they sound very convincing.
Ofcourse, the way they claim to verify you is by asking for all your personal details - TFN, DOB, Address etc. Very clever if you think about it! I was lucky as I refused to give any information as I wasn't sure what it was all about.
So she told me that I needed to call back within 2 business days. When I asked what it was about, she said she couldn't tell me until they verified my identity - funny if you think about because they were the ones who called me! Nothing made sense when I thought about it retrospectively.
I'm also lucky to have googled this number as I found others talking about this SCAM.

So... long story short, I called the real ATO number the following day by looking up ATO's number on their legitimate ATO website. I asked if they had been trying to reach me and told them about what happened - they confirmed that the number provided had NO affiliation with ATO and that ATO had NOT been trying to reach me. I was advised NOT to call that number.
So be warned - this IS a SCAM, no questions asked!
For those who do call the SCAM number, the pre-recorded options and menus are virtually identical to the real ATO recordings - clearly they've gone to great effort. And if you DO follow their prompts and enter all your details, sadly, you will have fallen victim to their SCAM as this is partly how they steal your personal information.
I really felt the need to warm fellow good citizens.
I REPEAT - THIS IS A SCAM 100% - DO NOT CALL THIS NUMBER!!

I Called ATO . Was legit, not a scam. It pays to be vigilant and a little paranoid with all the scams going around so don't take my word for it. Just call the ATO worth the 20 minutes to confirm.

Yes it is the ATO, I know because I spent 30 mins trying to get back to the number through the ATO switchboard. (given 50% of notes here say its a scam)you will need to try it yourself call the ATO phone - 132861 and they will not know what you're talking about, but eveeeeeentually they will acknowledge it is them, and can put you through, I think it is their internal collections...... so don't ignore it (as per other comments above).
It took me 29 minutes to verify... and get through.

Rang then today that number does belong to the ATO Collections not a scam

Thank God i missed the call i then googled the number and got this
Thanks Guys

1300 466 859 I also received a call from a Wendy and when I returned the call they asked for TFN, ABN and then Bank details etc., fortunately I did not give this detail.

I have investigated this number because i had a message left on my phone asking me to call it. It mentioned something I wasn't aware of and when I called it there was a request for TFN to be typed in and a message about taking voice prints. Whilst there are aspects of the call which are puzzling, my checks have strongly suggested that this was a valid call:

- If you go to the ATO website and call one of the contact numbers provided you get an answering service that was similar, though not identical, to the one I received on the 1300 466 859 number. It asks for TFN to be typed in and it talks about taking voice prints. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the number on the contact list on the ATO website which would provide the extra 2 or 3% of confirmation.

This number is DEFINITELY a SCAM!!!!! NO QUESTION about it!!! I got scammed by someone claiming to be the tax office & gave them all my personal information! STUPID! The ATO EVER contact people via letter, only by phone. The letter I received in the mail is a fake letter, on incorrect paper & the logo is low resolution, there is also not the standard ATO information of the back of the letter. BEWARE!!

1300 466 859 is a Hoax. Do not respond. I have received phone call from 1300 466 859 today. 16/4/2015. Claiming that this was ATO. I have asked their phone number and i have called them back at this number. They have a very professional answering service. The consultant asked for a lot of my personal details. I have given them some and i did not give my TFN. they said this was the essential part of the verification process. I have contacted my Accountant and i have called another ATO number and verified.. that they have never called me. This is a voice phishing. do not respond.

The number is not for Probe. It is an ATO number.

If they are an external agency, they are not allowed to say they are from the ATO, they have to say they are calling on behalf of the ATO and what company they are from.

If your debt is less than $25,000 and you are not already on a payment plan or have outstanding tax returns or BAS to lodge, you can phone the automated service to make a payment arrangement.

With the garnishee notice, it is a once-off garnishee of either the amount of the debt or 30% of your bank balance, whichever is the lesser.

The only thing that happens if you ignore the debt collection company is they put you back to the ATO and then they take further action. To be honest, unless you are really bad with payments and lodgements with the ATO, they are usually really good for payment plans. If you make payment plans and don't keep them, they will actually take you through a process to ensure you can pay the plan that you nominate and that you aren't trying to pay too much each payment. They want to put in place a plan you can keep to, not one that puts you under more financial pressure.