New fraud controls are being put in place to protect Australians from online identity theft and tax fraud.

The new protections are designed to make it more difficult for criminals to commit identity fraud and safer for taxpayers when interacting online with the government.

For example, from now on, individuals who use their myGovID to log in to the ATO will need to use that myGovID for future logins. Criminals will not be able to access an individual’s account without it. Having access to stolen information will not be enough to gain access.

The ATO’s Online security resource provides further information on steps individuals can take to securely access their online services. The resource also provides information on staying safe online, how the ATO protects personal information, data breach guidance and security for digital service providers.

In addition, Digital ID legislation will soon be introduced into parliament to create a safer identification system, which will be accessible across the public and private sectors and will provide stronger privacy protections.