We thank Mr Andrew Seow Chwee Guan for his letter “Beware of scammers trying to capitalise on GST refunds from government agencies” (Feb 20).

We strongly remind members of the public not to provide any personal information or banking details through phone calls, SMS, and social media.

All the agencies have designed their processes with the risk of scams in mind. They will ask taxpayers to provide information only through secure modes such as e-services on the agencies’ official websites, government websites (for example, FormSG), or portals (for example, HDB’s InfoWEB or Land Transport Authority’s OneMotoring). Where agencies already have the taxpayers’ updated banking information, they will credit the refunds directly into their bank accounts as Mr Seow suggested. 

If you are contacted by any party but are concerned that it could be a scam, you can approach the respective agencies through their official channels at go.gov.sg/contact-gst-refund

Farah Abdul Rahim
Director, Communications and Engagement
Ministry of Finance