SINGAPORE: Tax refund e-mails that appear to be from Singapore Customs are a new ploy of scammers impersonating the authorities.
Singapore Customs warned of the hoax in a Facebook post on Friday (Jan 31). It said recipients are prompted to “choose their refund method” – including via a bank transfer or their credit card – 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.
It added that official e-mail addresses under Singapore Customs contain the domain @customs.gov.sg and official correspondence would never be sent from personal e-mail accounts like Gmail or Yahoo.
It advised people to scrutinise the sender’s e-mail address when they receive a suspicious message, even if the sender’s name seemingly states “Customs” or a variation of this.
Singapore Customs had also warned of another type of scam in a Facebook post on Dec 20.
It involved a fake document with a forged Singapore Customs logo with a request to pay a sum of money for the release of a parcel allegedly held for clearance.
The agency said in its posts that those in doubt can verify the authenticity of any correspondence claiming to be from Singapore Customs at customs_feedback@customs.gov.sg
The police have frequently advised the public to take precautionary measures against scams.
People can apply the ACT acronym, which outlines these steps to take: Add security features, check for signs of a scam, and tell the authorities and others about scams.
Those who have any information relating to such crimes or who are in doubt about a phone call or message can submit a report online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness or call 1800-255-0000.
For more information on scams, visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield helpline on 1799. - The Straits Times/ANN
