Here is a summary of the latest police and emergency services news on the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island.

Suspicious fire at Port Noarlunga

Police are investigating a suspicious fire at a business at Port Noarlunga.

About 4.15am today, Monday 6 July. 

Police and fire crews were called to a business on Gawler Street, after reports of a fire at the rear of a barber shop.

Fire crews extinguished the blaze, which caused extensive damage to the barber shop and surrounding businesses. Accelerant is believed to have been used to start the fire.

There are no reports of any injuries.

Anyone who may have seen suspicious activity in the area is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or online. 

Man critical after Aldinga Beach crash

A man has been airlifted to the Flinders Medical Centre in a critical condition following a crash at Aldinga Beach on the weekend.

Just before 6.20pm on Saturday 4 July, police and ambulance crews were called to the Esplanade, after a Mazda sedan collided with a truck towing a trailer.

The driver of the Mazda sedan, a 52-year-old man from Sellicks Beach received serious injuries in the crash. He was treated at the scene by ambulance officers for more than hour, before being airlifted to the Flinders Medical Centre in a critical condition.

The three men travelling in the truck were not injured in the crash, however they were taken to the Flinders Medical Centre for blood to be taken.

Major Crash Investigators attended the scene to examine the circumstance surrounding the crash.

Traffic Report

At about 7.33pm on Tuesday 30 June, police stopped a 34-year-old Strathalbyn man on Swale Street, Strathalbyn after checks revealed he had a disqualified drivers licence. The man was also drug tested and allegedly returned a positive test to methamphetamine. He was arrested and charged with driving disqualified and was bailed to appear in court at a later date. The man’s sample will be sent to Forensic Science SA for further analysis.

At about 12.15pm on Thursday 2 July police were called to Jetty Road, Normanville after workers had allegedly been threatened by a 43-year-old man from Normanville with a hammer.  The man had then allegedly driven his car into the council workers vehicle before leaving the scene. Police located the man at the council chambers, where he was arrested. He was also breath tested, returning a positive result of 0.246, almost five times the limit. The man was charged with aggravated assault, driving without due care and drink driving. He will appear in court at a later date.

At about 12.25am on Friday 3 July on Strathalbyn Road, Flaxley, police stopped a 45-year-old Paris Creek man to breath test the driver.  The man allegedly returned a positive result of 0.196. He was reported for drink driving, issued a 12-month loss of licence and his vehicle was impounded for 28 days.  He will appear in court at a later date.

Police warn of ATO phone scam

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has issued a new alert, warning the public about scammers using automated phone calls pretending to be from the ATO, as well as other government agencies.

The agency’s warning details how the scammer claims the call recipient’s tax file number has been suspended before asking for personal information and banking details. 

They then threaten the recipient with arrest if the debt is not paid immediately or that their bank accounts will be closed. They usually demand payment through unusual methods like bitcoin, gift cards and vouchers.

Scammers use technology to make it look like the calls originate from a legitimate phone number by manipulating the caller identification. If in doubt, hang up the phone and call the person back on a known, reputable number.

One Police Station received a report today where scammers had manipulated the caller ID to show their police station phone number.

The ATO advises that their calls do not show a number on caller ID nor do they use pre-recorded messages. The ATO will never request sensitive information via email. 

Log in to MyGov to view official ATO correspondence. Government agencies will never ask for payment to be made using iTunes or similar gift cards.

If you aren't sure whether an ATO call is legitimate, hang up and phone them on 1800 008 540 to check.

The Office of Cyber Security has just released a tax time infographic, which gives all the tip and tricks to help you avoid falling victim this tax time.

For more information about verifying or reporting an ATO scammer please visit the identity security website.