Scammers never rest. This time, people are receiving bogus emails posing as the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).
IRAS put up an advisory yesterday (20 August 2019), warning people to ignore fake emails with the title “Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore-Refund-Online-Confirmation”.
The fake email tells recipients that IRAS has assessed their fiscal activity and determined they are eligible to receive a tax refund of $236.51.
Recipients are then prompted to download and fill a tax refund form by clicking a link.
The email also says that refunds may end up being delayed if recipients submit invalid records or miss the deadline to respond.
IRAS advises Singaporeans to be more wary online and not to respond for further circulate the fake email.
Especially during this time, when some Singaporeans are still expecting to receive their Notice of Assessment (the actual official tax bill) from IRAS by September.
IRAS also says there are cases of scammers impersonating officials over the phone, with the number “1800 356 8300” displayed using caller ID spoofing technology.
If you’re uncertain about an email or call you received, IRAS advises these tips to spot a scam:
- Official emails from IRAS will not be sent from personal email domains such as Hotmail, Gmail.
- IRAS will not ask for confidential personal details through phone calls.
- IRAS will not request for you to make a payment to a third party’s bank account.
- If anything seems unusual, always verify directly with IRAS so they can identify if it is fake news. Do not participate in spreading it further through messaging apps.
Featured Image Credit: Ali Yahya, Unsplash / IRAS
