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The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has published an advisory warning of scam emails and text messages designed to trick recipients into furnishing their personal details and credit card numbers.

Email scam

Screenshots provided by IRAS showed an email riddled with spelling errors purporting that recipients are eligible for a "tax reffund" of S$280.

Upon clicking on the link provided in the email, recipients are redirected to a page spoofing IRAS's myTax portal and asked for their telephone number and postal code.

Once they've done that, they are sent to another page asking for their credit card details.

SMS scam

Another scam that the IRAS warned of involved a text message accusing the recipient of "unreported income and tax evasion", prompting them to "provide further clarification" through a link.

That link redirects to a form asking users for their full name and credit card details.

Surge in IRAS impersonation scams

At the end of July 2022, the Singapore police and IRAS said they had observed a sudden surge in phishing scams that month.

Scammers would impersonate IRAS and target victims through text messages.

At the time, at least 51 victims had fallen prey, with total losses amounting to at least S$37,400.

To avoid getting scammed, IRAS advised the public to:

• Ensure the legitimacy of links they're clicking on; bonafide tax-related processes are conducted through "iras.gov.sg" or "go.gov.sg"
• For tax transactions, including filing and payments, only use relevant forms and digital services in the myTax portal by logging in with Singpass
• Delete suspicious emails and text messages asking for personal details or login credentials
• Do not download or open any attached files in emails and text messages
• Do not click on hyperlinks in suspicious emails and text messages
• Never disclose your passwords or one-time passwords to others

"Members of the public who have been affected by the scam are advised to lodge a police report," wrote IRAS.

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Top image from IRAS