Beware: New scam impersonates Iras to offer you tax refunds

SINGAPORE — At least six people have fallen prey to scammers impersonating government officials from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) since Jan 1, with losses amounting to $3,000.

Victims of this phishing scam variant would receive unsolicited e-mails from scammers posing as officials from Iras, informing them they were eligible for refunds due to a prior overcharge, the police said in a statement on March 6.

Victims would then be provided with a website link that would direct them to a phishing website masquerading as the Iras website.

On the website, they would be required to select their preferred refund method, either via debit or credit card. The victims would then have to provide their card details and one-time passwords on the phishing website.

Victims would realise they had been scammed only after they were notified of unauthorised transactions in their bank accounts.

The police said Iras would never ask for one's online banking username and password, or one's credit and debit card details, for tax refund purposes.

It added that Iras processes refunds by automatically refunding any tax credits directly into taxpayers' registered bank accounts or PayNow-NRIC/FIN/UEN accounts.

Taxpayers can check for updates on any refund via the Iras' myTax Portal. Further details can be found on Iras' website.

The police advised the public to take precautionary measures.

They can apply the ACT acronym, which outlines these steps to take: Add security features, Check for signs of a scam, and Tell the authorities and others about scams.

For more information on scams, they can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688.

To report scam-related information, call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit details online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness with the assurance of confidentiality.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.