SINGAPORE – Received an e-mail from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) asking you to update your information? Beware, as this is a scam.
In a statement on Friday, Iras warned the public of a phishing e-mail from noreply@u.iras.gov.sg, asking taxpayers to click on a link to update their particulars.
“Members of the public are advised to ignore the scam phishing e-mail and not to provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions in the e-mail. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports,” Iras said.
In the e-mail, recipients are told that they need to update their account by clicking a link that will expire in 12 hours. The e-mail is signed off as “Government of Singapore”.
Iras told The Straits Times that it was alerted to the phishing e-mail on Thursday evening and has not received reports of taxpayers being scammed by it.
The Singapore Police Force has been alerted on this incident, it added.
Legitimate e-mails from Iras will end with @iras.gov.sg, and the authority will not solicit confidential information – including password, Singpass one-time password, credit card and bank account details – through e-mail or unsecured Web links, according to Iras’ website.
In Singapore, taxpayers receive filing notifications between February and March via e-mail, SMS or a letter.
Those who need to pay taxes then file their taxes from March to April and typically receive their bills from the end of April.
Earlier in March, Iras had warned of another phishing e-mail offering tax refunds. The scam e-mail enticed taxpayers to click on a link in the e-mail that directs them to a fake website to provide their personal information, including Singpass credentials and credit card details.
For tax transactions, including filing and payments, taxpayers should use forms and digital services in Iras’ myTax Portal secured by Singpass login.
Phishing scams were the most common scam in 2022 with 7,097 cases, a 41.3 per cent jump from the 5,023 cases in 2021.
For more information on scams, the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline on 1800-722-6688.
Anyone with information on scams may call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit information confidentially online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness
