A man claiming to be from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has given an expletive-ridden spray to ABC presenter Nick Rheinberger after being told their conversation was being recorded.

It was a voicemail likely to make even the most honest taxpayer frightened — a message from someone claiming to be from the tax office accusing you of tax fraud and asking you to call back immediately.

This is what happened to the ABC Illawarra presenter recently, so he called them back from his radio studio.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 1 minute 24 seconds 1 m 24 s ATO Scam recorded ( Nick Rheinberger ) Download 662.6 KB

What to do if you get a call like this: Hang up

Hang up Don't respond to numbers supplied in an automated call

Don't respond to numbers supplied in an automated call Delete any messages left on voicemail

Delete any messages left on voicemail Speak to someone you trust about the scam call

The phone call (which was not broadcast live) started politely with a man identifying himself as an ATO employee, who then asked for Rheinberger's details.

The conversation quickly turned offensive when the ABC presenter told him he was in a radio studio.

"I need to let you know I'm recording this call as well," Rheinberger said.

"F*** you, and the recording, and put this recording to your ass as well mother f***er," the man said.

"Right, OK, that's what I'd expect from the Australian Taxation Office," Rheinberger said sarcastically.

"OK? So go and get f***ed, go and f*** your mum."

The call was recorded because Rheinberger suspected it was a scam and wanted to highlight the problem, which the ATO warns has already scammed Australians out of $1.5 million this year.

How the scam works

Many scams target people by calling their home phone and accusing them of owing money. ( Damien Larkins, file photo: ABC News )

Rheinberger's original message was left by a man identifying himself as Michael Anderson from the Australian Taxation Office.

"The reason for this call is to inform you that we have received a legal complaint under your name, and the complaint is for tax avoidance," he said.

"Before we go ahead and take it to the local district court and issue a warrant, kindly call us back.

"Do not disregard this message and return the call as soon as possible."

A brief search of the scammer's phone number online brings up pages of people complaining about being targeted by the same scam.

All report a Michael Anderson accusing them of tax fraud.

NSW Fair Trading's advice for avoiding scams

NSW Fair Trading's Illawarra spokesperson Christine Ambs said scams like this were common.

"We certainly get a lot of them and in 2016 Australians lost over $300 million in scams, so it's a prevalent thing," she said.

Sorry, this video has expired Online criminals after a big slice of Australia's tax return ( Andrew Robertson )

"If it's coming out the blue, you need to be sceptical, and if it comes from someone purporting to be from a government department, no government department will contact you by phone to demand a payment."

She said people should never give personal details or banking information to anyone claiming to be from a government agency over the phone.

The scams, while audacious and brazen, usually succeed with vulnerable members of the community, such as the elderly.

Ms Ambs said another scam to be aware of involved someone asking for payment using an iTunes gift card.

"They claim to be from the tax department chasing debt repayment, and usually there's some degree of urgency, so if you don't pay, they get that fear and panic going in people.

"Then they say you can pay the debt using an iTunes gift card and they'll take the details of the card for the payment.

"Once you've given the card's digits, the money's gone and you'll never get it back."

Stay in touch with recent scams through the ACCC's Scamwatch and Fair Trading's Scams page.