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Assessing income and assets in cases of suspected fraudulent transactions 108-25072901

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This document explains how to assess income and assets affected by scams.

On this page:

Customer advises about a scam

CAO Assessment

Customer advises about a scam

For service officers

Table 1

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Customer advises that they, and/or their partner, have been the victim of a scam

To establish that the customer has been the victim of a scam and fraud has definitely occurred, the customer must provide evidence that they have:

  • reported the matter to the appropriate authorities
  • taken all possible steps to attempt to recover the funds, and
  • there is nothing further that can be done

Evidence may include

  • bank statements showing actual amounts transferred or stolen
  • bank documents regarding refund action
  • emails or messages between the customer and the scammer
  • a statement from the customer outlining the scam
  • documents that confirm the matter was reported to the appropriate authorities, such as:
    • the police
    • ReportCyber on the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) website outlining circumstances of the alleged scam
    • ScamWatch – Report a scam outlining circumstances of the alleged scam
    • fraud departments for any relevant financial institutions, and the outcome of their investigations

Has the customer provided evidence they have been the victim of a scam?

  • Yes, please refer the case to CAO
    • Procedure ends here for Service Officer
  • No, request evidence. Procedure ends here until information returned

Note: The investment(s) should continue to be assessed until the CAO has made their determination.


CAO Assessment

For Complex Assessment Officer (CAO) use.

Table 2

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Victim of a scam decision

Is the CAO satisfied that the customer has been the victim of a scam, and has taken all possible steps to attempt to recover the funds? See Resources for examples.

Note: if the customer has provided all evidence available and the Service Officer is unable to determine if the customer is a victim of a scam/fraud, refer the case to the Level 2 Policy Helpdesk for advice.

2

Victim of a scam

The funds are considered a failed financial investment, so the funds can be disregarded. That is, no investment exists, so no income or asset value is maintained.

The customer should be advised to notify if any funds are returned, or the bank manages to recover any stolen funds.

Record details on a DOC.

Procedure ends here

3

Insufficient evidence

The funds are unable to be considered as a failed investment, so continue to be assessable.

Consider other options available.

This could include: