Phone number is legit. It is the ATO Lodgement Compliance section - late BAS/income tax returns etc. I work for an accounting firm, and have been dealing with them.

Caller: The f*cking ATO

It's the ATO alright. A bunch of f*cking c*nts who are very keen to chase down the little guys who make minor mistakes and punish them heavily but completely fail to chase down the real tax dodgers in the big end of town.

Very interesting there are mixed views on this number - I have also had this call in the past week and called the ATO who confirm this is not one of their numbers. If it was I would expect to be put through to the appropriate department. I would also expect given the number of comments by people and over several years, who have contacted this number - then if it is a legitimate BAS/Late lodgement number that this department would have amended this to avoid what appears to be an ongoing issue. I will not be calling the number back!

This is a scam as we are retired and dont pay tax.

This really is the Tax Office. I called back and got a recorded tax office message asking to key in my tax file number, which I did. After being on hold for a while (I guess that indicates government department!) I spoke to a woman who asked my DOB and address. While I was a little aprehensive, I gave it to her and she knew all of my other information. The phone call related to not submitting a BAS on time, which I doubt a scammer would know. Given she knew a lot of information I hadn't given her, I am confident that it really is the tax office. She was very nice too!

This number is not on the ATO website because it is not designed for any member of the public to call. It is a targeted campaign number and any inbound call should only be the result of a message left. It IS a legitimate number. You've tried to do the right thing but haven't considered all possibilities. You've been contacted by this number because you are not meeting all your legal obligations, go onto MyGov and see for yourself.

Caller: ATO

See at the bottom for my solution to this growing problem.

Yep its real. Missed a call from them, they left a message with a contact phone number 1300 661 508. They really need to improve the way they make these calls. It was 6.30pm and she sounded Indian....typical scammer scenario. Then instead of identifying themselves, they ask you for all sorts of ID so THEY can verify who you are. Exactly what the scammers do either in person or one of those Robo Calls.

Hey ATO, the Aus Gov tells us NOT to provide the sort of information as above to random callers yet you ask us to provide it when the ATO supposedly calls us. Here'e a solution.

We need to STOP overseas calls from scammers. If we do this, then we can better trust the incoming phone call and not be so freaked out by NO caller ID calls after hours from Indians or other nationalities. BTW I've never had a scam call from an Aussie voice.

To STOP these overseas calls, we ALL need to ring our Telcos (Telstra, Optus etc) and tell them that you NO LONGER WANT TO RECEIVE ANY OVERSEAS CALLS either directly or calls that have been redirected via landline or mobile numbers. They can do it, they just don't want to because if they did, they would have to bring all their call centres back to Australia.

This is definitely The ATO. It's not a scam.
It's a number for Bas and company non compliance - they will have all your details on computer.
Just imput your tax file number and a staff number will take your query.

1300 661 508 – Definitely an ATO number.

I ignored this for some time, before I got a letter demanding overdue Income Tax returns.
I took this to a Tax Agent, who reviewed my file and confirmed the information. She also confirmed the number is legit.
It appears some scammers give this number out to try and legitimise their attempt at getting info from you.
The ATO does try and call you, so whoever says they don’t are either lying to you, or don’t know what they are talking about.
As for some areas of the ATO – 1800 008 540 - saying it is not one of their numbers, they obviously do not know what they are doing.
Since I had some late lodgments and penalties, I have dealt with this area on several occasions now. I would rather believe them and my Tax Agent.
If you are ever unsure of their contact, call the ATO main switch on 13 28 69 and ask to be transferred to that number. The switch is very helpful.

said they where from the tax office??? scam!!

Call showing as silent number from "Rabin" (indian accent) claiming to be from ATO Knew my name and wanting to confirm my address , mentioned name of partnership - details he should not have had access to??? Absolute scam, have been retired for 2 years now and no outstanding tax matters. gave me this number to ring. Told him it was not likely that the ATO would call, they have my address and would write to me if there were any issues which there certainly should not be. So annoying that these scammers prey on people, Where do they get their information?????

It is the ATOs 'lodgement compliance' section. If you have an ABN and are late to lodge your BAS (if you are registered) or PAYG, or end of year filings, then they actually do call to give you the chance to discuss when you expect to get them done. They are quite reasonable about it, and talking with them is a good idea.

To stop all concerns and suspicions the ATO needs to seriously think about who they employ in these roles where they can the public. I had a person from a noisy call centre with a strong Indian accent leave a message. Called the number back and got a girl with a strong Indian accent again in a noisy call centre. Told her to get stuffed and hope you all get COVID! ATO pull your head in with this number 1300 661 508

called ATO Scam Hotline
https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Online-services/Identity-security/Scam-alerts/

They have not record of this number and advised it is a scam

AR - Perhaps you should call the ATO back, as they have given you wrong information.
Ask them to open SMART Online, go to IAL Outbound Campaign Procedures and then scroll down to "Leaving a message". Magically the 1300 661 508 number appears in a genuine ATO system.

I confirmed with the ATO this is their number. On the ATO website they list 1800 008 540 as the contact number to double check whether calls are legit. I still hungup on them first time as I prefer to call rather than have someone call me and ask for my details.

Yes 1300 661 508 is TAX Office number

Caller: Anthea Leonard

Hi ANTHEA LEONARD
Thank you for taking our call today. If you would like to discuss your account further or have any questions, please phone us on 1300 661 508 between 8am and 5pm, weekdays. It will help if you have your TFN and quote REF# xxxxxxxxxxxxx when you call.
Australian Taxation Office

Now this may or may not be the ATO, But I am a pensioner and have not had to lodge a return for over two decades.

Caller: Unknown Number - No Caller ID

I got a call but I was hesitant to give my details. So the guy on the phone gave me this number to call back and a Receipt Number. The number is legit and listed on ATO website. It was regarding my tax return. https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/contact-us/ Lodgment support (call-back line) 1300 661 508

Caller: ATO left detailed message.

Was initially concerned it was a scam, however good idea to get your tax agent to deal with it. Mine went into my tax account and verified what they wanted from me was in fact legit and he sorted it for me.