Does the ATO call from a private number?
Short answer
Yes. The ATO confirms that when it phones you, you will not see a number on caller ID. A private or blocked number is therefore normal for a genuine ATO call and is not a scam sign on its own. Judge the call by what the caller asks for, not by the number, and verify it yourself before giving anything.
Why the number is hidden
The ATO's outbound calls come from large call centres and go out with caller ID withheld. On most phones that displays as No Caller ID, Private Number, Blocked or Unknown. The ATO says this plainly on its contact page, so a hidden number is what you should expect, not a red flag.
The flip side is also true. A call that shows a number, even one that looks like a real ATO line, proves nothing either. Scammers can spoof a displayed number to match 13 28 61 or 13 28 66. That is why the ATO tells people to check the content of the call and to verify through channels they control.
Calls from recoveriescorp, the agency the ATO uses for some referred debts, may show a 1300 number instead. See how ATO debt collectors work for what those calls involve.
What to judge instead of the number
Since the number tells you nothing, use the ATO's own list of things it will never do. A caller who does any of these is not the ATO:
- Threatens you with arrest, police, or immediate court.
- Demands that you stay on the line or not hang up.
- Asks for payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, cash delivery, or a transfer to a personal or offshore account.
- Threatens to cancel your tax file number.
- Is a recorded message. The ATO says it does not send unsolicited robocalls.
- Asks you to read out your full TFN, myGov password or card details to prove who you are.
A genuine officer will confirm your identity with questions, talk about a real debt or lodgement that you can see in your account, and accept it if you want to call back. Our page on ATO phone calls describes what a real call sounds like from start to finish.
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How to verify a call from a hidden number
- Say you will call back, and end the call. No genuine officer will object.
- Open the ATO app, log in, and choose verify call. The ATO says a confirmation arrives within 30 seconds if the call was real.
- Log in to ATO online services through myGov and look at your account for any debt, letter or overdue lodgement the caller mentioned.
- Phone the ATO on 13 11 42 and ask whether anyone has been trying to reach you.
The full one-minute version is at is this ATO call real?. If the call was genuine and there is a debt, the letters you have received will show how far along the ATO's process you are. Our guide to ATO letters and which number to call are the next two things to read.
What to do next
- Treat a private number as normal, but give nothing to the caller until you have checked.
- Use the ATO app verify call feature or log in to myGov to see whether the debt is real.
- Call 13 11 42 to confirm and, if the debt is genuine, talk about a payment plan on that call.
Related questions
Can I ask the ATO to show a number when it calls?
No. Outbound ATO calls go out with the number withheld and you cannot change that. What you can do is ask the officer for their name and team, decline to continue, and phone the ATO back on a published number. That is the verification method the ATO itself recommends.
Do scammers also use private numbers?
Yes. Scam calls come from hidden numbers, spoofed real numbers and random mobiles. This is exactly why the displayed number cannot be used to tell a real call from a fake one in either direction. The content of the call and your own independent check are the only reliable tests.
Missed or private number call from the ATO?
Free, confidential help checking the debt and your options.
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