Tax refund e-mails are scams, warns Iras

SINGAPORE – The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) on Sept 23 warned against tax refund scam e-mails, which it said contain links that will likely direct people to a phishing website.

In a Facebook post on Sept 23, Iras said it has received reports of scam e-mails with the subject “Refund Ticket”, which target individual taxpayers.

“This is a tax refund scam where scammers will inform you that you are eligible for refunds due to prior overcharge or payouts from Iras,” it said.

These e-mails include a suspicious web link that will likely direct users to a phishing website, it added.

Iras advised the public to ignore these e-mails and refrain from clicking the link. They also urged people to check for suspicious e-mails that appear to be from the authority.

“Iras will not send you e-mails on your tax refund amount,” it said.

It added that any tax refunds are automatically credited into the individual’s bank account registered with Iras or PayNow accounts.

In January, Singapore Customs warned of a

similar scam using tax refund e-mails

, which prompted recipients to “choose their refund method” and click on a hyperlink to claim the tax return.

Customs would not send hyperlinks for cash transactions and such e-mails are not from it, said the agency.

In 2023, at least 52 people fell victim to scammers impersonating Iras officials, with

losses amounting to about

$2.3 million

.

Of these scams, 79 per cent involved victims being offered tax refunds and 15 per cent were of victims being asked to pay capital gains tax or income tax on investment-related profits.