IRAS Warns of Scam Calls Via WhatsApp Whereby Fake Tax Collectors Say You Have Unpaid Taxes

By
Shawn Ambrose
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The human brain is wired in such a way that even if we’ve done nothing wrong, many of us tend to panic when accused of something.

Caller: Hello, this is the police. We hear you’ve been drinking 45 cups of bubble tea a day.

Me: Oh my god I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, I just- wait, that’s not illegal, is it?

Caller: Well, it certainly should be. 

This is why scams involving false accusations are so effective; even though they’re innocent, victims fear punishment and will do anything to avoid it.

In the past, scammers have impersonated police officers and government officials. Now, it seems that they’ve found a new fake job at the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras).

IRAS Warns of Scam Calls Via WhatsApp Whereby Fake Tax Collectors Say You Have Unpaid Taxes

In the latest impersonation scam variant, swindlers have been calling up victims on WhatsApp purporting to be Iras officers.

They accuse the victim of not paying their taxes and say that a penalty needs to be paid. If the scammer is duped, they will then ask for their credit card details.

The scammers use Iras’ logo as their WhatsApp display picture, but their number is a foreign number, which should always raise suspicions.

Now, Iras is advising people to ignore WhatsApp calls from people pretending to be from the tax agency, saying it would never call taxpayers through messaging platforms like WhatsApp.

Members of the public should also never provide any personal, credit card, or bank account details, make any payments to a third party’s bank account, or follow any instructions by the caller, it said.

Iras reiterated that it would never ask taxpayers to verify credit card or bank account details over the phone.

“Those who have been affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports,” IRAS said.

Swindlers Posed as ICA Officers in Previous Scam

In another scam reported earlier this month, scammers called up victims posing as officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

Callers would claim to be an ICA officer and accuse recipients of breaching COVID-19 regulations or spreading fake news related to the pandemic.

They would then threaten that a report would be lodged against them and that they have to pay a “penalty”.

Of course, there was never any offence, and thus no fine to pay.

I’m still waiting for the day where scammers pose as safe distancing ambassadors, only for uncles and aunties to ignore them because they have no badge.

Three Golden Rules of Scam Prevention 

At the time, ICA provided what it called the “three golden rules” of scam prevention.

  • Don’t Panic – Ignore the calls and caller’s instructions. No government agency will request personal details or money transfers over the phone or through automated voice machines. Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act as you may be overwhelmed by emotion.
  • Don’t Believe – Always check the validity of a request, as scammers may use caller ID spoofing technology to mask their actual phone number and display a different number.
  • Don’t Give – Don’t provide your personal information such as name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account, or credit card details to suspicious or unknown parties

At the end of the day, whatever trick a scammer pulls, they’ll eventually have to ask for your personal or banking information, and that’s when you should end the call.

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]