An Australian woman has urged others to check for unclaimed survivors after the Australian Tax Office deposited $198 into her bank account.
At first, the woman wasn’t sure why she had received the money, so she shared a screenshot of a text message from her bank on Reddit on Tuesday to seek advice from others.
‘From ANZ: Hello, your tax refund has arrived! “You received $198.07 from the ATO into your ANZ account,” the text message said.
Unsure if the text message was a scam, the woman explained that she had already received a $900 refund after her tax agent filed her return in July.
“I just got a text from the ATO saying I’ve received a refund of $200,” he said.
‘I thought it was a scam, but I checked my bank account and the money is there.
‘I’m very confused. I checked MyGov and can’t find anything about this second tax return.’
The woman initially thought the message she received claiming the Australian Tax Office deposited $198 into her bank account was a scam.
Unsure of the origin of the money, the woman decided to contact the Australian Tax Office for clarification.
In an update to his post, he explained that the tax office informed him that the money came from an unclaimed pension.
“Upon further investigation, it appears that a super account from a previous job that I forgot about was closed and the money was sent back to me,” he wrote.
“I just wish they had sent me a notification or some details about it as I didn’t receive any information from the superintendent or the ATO about this which made it look very fraudulent.”
The warning follows a reminder from the Australian Taxation Office, urging Australians to check for lost or unclaimed pensions.
In September, the tax office revealed it had $17.8 billion in unclaimed funds.
Since 2021, the tax office has collected almost $6.4 billion from its rightful owners.
Retirees could see an increase in their savings, as $471 million of unclaimed funds belong to people over 65.
Outdated contact details are one of the main reasons why many Australians are missing out on their unclaimed super.
“We are urging Australians to check whether any of the $17.8 billion in lost and unclaimed super belongs to them,” ATO Deputy Commissioner Emma Rosenzweig said.
“If you changed jobs, moved house or simply forgot to update your details, you may have lost or not claimed super.”
The Australian Tax Office informed the woman the amount was her unclaimed super.
Australians can check their super account details online by logging into the ATO services portal through MyGov or by contacting their superannuation provider directly.
Lost and unclaimed super can be transferred to another eligible super account, or if the recipient is over 65 or the amount is less than $200, it can be transferred directly to the recipient’s bank account.
“Superannuation is a key part of retirement and we want to ensure Australians reclaim the investment they have worked for,” Ms Rosenzweig said.
