IRAS tax notification with bad grammar and warning to meet is scam, IRAS staff says no time to meet

An SMS seemingly sent from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) regarding tax reviews is circulating among the public, but it has been confirmed to be a phishing scam.

The police and IRAS have observed a sudden surge in phishing scams, where scammers would impersonate IRAS and target victims through SMSes.

“Since July 2022, at least five victims had fallen prey, with total losses amounting to at least S$37,400,” said IRAS in an advisory.

Facebook page Complaint Singapore member Nour Madinah received the SMS on July 31 and asked the community if it was really from IRAS.

“Does anyone else receive this kind of message this morning? It’s fake, right.”

The message reads, “IRAS: Please complete your tax review within 12 hours via (attached link). Timeout or no to offer, we will meet in person for info without notice.”

Netizens pointed out that with “such horrible grammar,” how could the SMS be legitimate?

Facebook user Szu Chia Jaslyn Teo, whose husband works for IRAS, confirmed the SMS was fake. “He said, ‘Do you think I have so much time to meet? Of course, is a scam.”

They advised the group member not to click on the link and report the incident to the authorities.

Check out the sequence of how victims fall prey to the scam below.

Members of the public are reminded that IRAS does not send SMSes containing links asking the user to log in with their credentials.

Users are advised to verify the authenticity of claims of problems with their income tax status with the official IRAS website.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. /TISG

Scammers trying their luck with new phishing scam involving ‘traffic offence’