Got refund from Iras? That was what 10 taxpayers who lost $9,000 to scammers thought too

The police are alerting the public to a phishing scam involving scammers impersonating the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) and targeting victims via email.

At least 10 taxpayers have suffered losses amounting to at least $9,000 to the scam since Dec 9.

The victims would receive unsolicited emails from scammers purportedly from “Iras”, informing them that they are eligible for refunds due to prior overcharging of payments.

The recipients would be provided a web link, which directed them to a phishing website masquerading as the Iras website.

They would be required to select their preferred refund method via debit or credit card, and then provide their bank card details and one-time passwords (OTPs) on the phishing website.

The victims would discover that they had been scammed only later when they were notified of unauthorised transactions made on their debit or credit cards.

You are advised to adopt the following precautionary measures to avoid getting scammed:

ADD – ScamShield App to protect yourself from scam calls and SMSes. Set security features such as transaction limits for Internet banking transactions and enable multifactor authentication for banks.

CHECK – For scam signs with official sources such as ScamShield WhatsApp bot @ go.gov.sg/scamshield-bot, call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688, or visit www.scamalert.sg. Look out for tell-tale signs of a phishing website. Do not click on suspicious emails and always verify the authenticity of claims of problems with your income tax status with the official IRAS website. Never disclose your personal or banking credentials and/or OTPs to anyone!

TELL – authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately.

If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent police assistance, please dial 999.