Scam Advisory 

Every transaction is secure
For tax matters, transact safely on myTax Portal (mytax.iras.gov.sg). 

myTaxPortal is a secured and personalised portal for you to view and manage your tax transactions with IRAS. SingPass authentication is also required before you can perform any transactions.

Email us via myTax Mail
Use myTax Mail to correspond with IRAS. We will notify you via SMS on your mobile phone when we have replied. For added security, we will respond to you via myTax Mail if your query contains confidential information.

Confidential documents are kept safe
We do not send out confidential documents such as tax return forms, notices of assessment, refund letters or other tax statements through unsecured emails. Confidential documents are deposited in myTax Portal.

Pay securely
GIRO is the preferred payment mode (except for casino tax, estate duty and gambling duties). For payments to IRAS made via internet banking, ATM bill payment and AXS mobile, select “IRAS” from the list of payees. You can also pay using PayNow QR in myTax Portal. Learn about payment modes for different tax types to IRAS. 

Trust only gov.sg for SMS Sender ID
From 1 Jul 2024, all government agencies will send SMSes from a single gov.sg Sender ID. Check that gov.sg is in lowercase and ensure that the SMS begins with the full name of the agency that sent it e.g. "Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore".

If you receive an email purportedly from IRAS claiming that prospective tenants are required to pay a “validation deposit” to their landlords’ accounts, do not make payment to the scam account.

This is a scam where fraudsters spoof IRAS’ identity as a tax authority to trick recipients who are prospective tenants to make payment so that their rental unit can be successfully registered. The scam letter, sent together with a scam invoice, instructs recipients to pay a “validation deposit’ to a designated bank account masquerading as the landlord’s bank account. The letter further claims that the “validation deposit” will be refunded upon “successful registration” of the tenant.

Although landlords may ask tenants to make a downpayment or security deposit to secure their rental property, such payments should be made directly to their landlords as this is a private arrangement between the landlord and tenant. IRAS does not require tenants to be registered or validated with us, and we will not send letters to either tenants or landlord instructing that a “validation deposit” is to be made to a designated bank account.

Members of the public are advised to ignore scam letter and not to make payment. Do not provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions in the email. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

Learn how IRAS protects you from scams. 

Copies of the scam email and scam invoice are attached:

We have been alerted to a resurgence of scam phishing emails impersonating IRAS. Under the pretext of offering tax refunds, the scam emails attempt to trick taxpayers to click on a link in the email that directs them to a fake website to provide their personal information including SingPass credentials and credit card details.

How IRAS processes tax refunds

IRAS will not ask taxpayers to give their online banking username or password, or their credit/debit card details, for purposes of tax refunds. Tax refunds are automatically credited to taxpayers’ registered bank accounts or via PayNow accounts (NRIC, FIN, UEN). We do not process tax refunds to credit/debit cards. Taxpayers can check for tax credits due to them on myTax Portal. Please visit https://www.iras.gov.sg/quick-links/refunds for more details. 

Members of the public are advised to ignore the phishing scam and not to provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions in the email. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

Screenshots of the variant of phishing scams are provided below for reference:

Read how IRAS protects you from scams. 

We have been alerted to a fake Stamp Duty scam where bogus property agents attempt to trick Members of the Public to pay alleged “stamp duty fees” for their “tenancy agreements”.

Scammers impersonating as property agents communicated with Members of the Public under the pretext of helping them to secure rental properties. The scammers sent WhatsApp messages with screenshots of a fake Stamp Duty certificate and a bogus email from [email protected] pressuring them to make payment for “stamp duty fees”. The bogus email claimed that the alleged “stamp duty fees” should be made to the property agent’s company and that these fees were refundable.

IRAS would like to advise that Stamp Duty for tenancy agreements are payable via the e-Stamping Portal on myTaxPortal (https://mytax.iras.gov.sg). Please also refer to Verifying the Authenticity of Stamp Certificate (iras.gov.sg) for more information on how to verify the authenticity of stamp certificate.

Taxpayers are advised to stay vigilant against scams. Do not be deceived by fake SMSes, emails and WhatsApp messages in spoofing scams. To avoid getting scammed, click only links with “iras.gov.sg” or ”go.gov.sg”. For tax transactions including filing and payments, taxpayers should use relevant forms and digital services in myTax Portal secured by Singpass login. IRAS will also not solicit taxpayers’ personal details or any confidential information via email or unsecured web links.

Members of the public are advised to ignore the scam and not to provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

Read how IRAS protects you from scams.

Screenshots of the fake documents are provided below for reference:

If you receive an email purportedly from IRAS claiming that you have a pending penalty for “Underpayment of Estimated Corporation Tax”, do not click on the URL link. This is a new phishing scam where fraudsters spoof IRAS’ identity to trick users into clicking a suspicious URL link.

The phishing email requests users to respond by paying the penalty in full or applying to remove or reduce their penalty if they disagree with the amount owed. Do not click on the URL link to view or download the “Penalty Notice”.

IRAS does not send any notices on tax matters via unsecured emails. All tax transactions and notices are deposited on mytax.iras.gov.sg. myTax Portal is a secured and personalised portal for you to view and manage your tax transactions with IRAS. SingPass authentication is also required before you can perform any transactions.

Members of the public are advised to ignore the phishing email and not to click on the suspicious URL link. Do not provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions in the email. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

Learn how IRAS protects you from scams. 

A copy of the scam email is attached: 

We have been alerted of a scam variant where victims receive an attached letter via email, purportedly from IRAS, instructing them to pay income tax on their investment profit. 

The scam letter claims that cryptocurrency investors are required to pay taxes on their investment profits or dividends in an attempt to mislead them that income tax is payable on the profit or dividends. The recipient is then instructed to make payment to avoid late fees or penalties.  

Screenshots of the email and scam letter are provided below for reference: 

IRAS would like to advise that the authority does not receive reports of private investments made by taxpayers. Taxpayers are required to file their tax returns at mytax.iras.gov.sg using SingPass login. IRAS’ letters and notices are deposited in the secured tax portal at mytax.iras.gov.sg and taxpayers may log in to the portal to retrieve them.

Members of the public are advised to ignore such emails and not to 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 sender. Those who have been affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.   

If you receive a WhatsApp message purportedly from an eCommerce logistics company seeking Goods and Services Tax (GST) to be paid before the release of parcels, do not reply or make any payment.

For this variant of the parcel delivery scam, scammers attempt to get GST payment from users to facilitate the delivery of their purchased items which is held at the “Singapore border”. The WhatsApp message also shows an image of a fake ‘Certificate of Registration – Goods and Services Tax’ with an IRAS logo.

Members of the public are advised to ignore the scam Whatsapp message. Do not provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions in the WhatsApp message. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

Learn how IRAS protects you from scams. 

A copy of the scam WhatsApp message is attached:

If you receive an email purportedly from IRAS claiming that the Property Tax Notice for your property is ready for viewing via WeTransfer, do not click on the URL link. This is a new phishing scam where fraudsters spoof IRAS’ identity to trick users into clicking a suspicious URL link.

IRAS does not send any notices to taxpayers through WeTransfer via unsecured emails. All tax transactions and notices are deposited on mytax.iras.gov.sg. myTax Portal is a secured and personalised portal for you to view and manage your tax transactions with IRAS. SingPass authentication is also required before you can perform any transactions.

Members of the public are advised to ignore the phishing email and not to click on the suspicious URL link. Do not provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions in the email. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

Learn how IRAS protects you from scams. 

A copy of the scam email is attached:

We have been alerted to a resurgence of a scam variant seeking payment of “tax clearance/investors’ fee” for capital gains on investment in cryptocurrency.

The scam letter – purportedly from IRAS – claimed that IRAS received a report on the recipient’s investment in a cryptocurrency company/platform “Coins Capital”. The letter informed that the recipient’s capital gains had been transferred to an escrow account held by IRAS and that this amount would not be released until the “tax clearance/investors’ fee” of 30% of capital gains had been paid.

Members of the public are advised to ignore the letter and not to provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions in the email. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

IRAS would like to advise that gains of a capital nature are not taxable as Singapore does not have a capital gains tax regime. This treatment applies in general to transactions involving any asset class, including digital tokens such as cryptocurrencies or “crypto assets”.

Copies of the scam letter and other similar scams are attached for reference:

Read how IRAS protects you from scams. 

We have been alerted to a scam email - purportedly from the Monetary Authority of Singapore- seeking payment for Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) with a fake certificate of Stamp Duty.

The email claimed that the recipient’s endorsement has to be “validated” as payment for ABSD is outstanding. The fake stamp certificate also claimed that ABSD will be refunded during lease expiry of the tenancy term.

IRAS would like to advise that ABSD is not payable for tenancy agreements. Please refer to Verifying the Authenticity of Stamp Certificate (iras.gov.sg) for more information on how to verify the authenticity of stamp certificate.

Members of the public are advised to ignore the email and not to provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions in the email. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

A copy of the fake stamp certificate is attached for reference: 

Read how IRAS protects you from scams. 

We have been alerted to a scam phishing email asking taxpayers to click on a link to update their particulars.

Members of the public are advised to ignore the scam phishing email and not to provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions in the email. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

A screenshot of the phishing email is provided for reference:

Read how IRAS protects you from scams. 

We have been alerted to a scam phishing email seeking “outstanding stamp duty payment”. The email instructs recipients to transfer their outstanding stamp duty payment to a third party account purportedly held in the name of the “Commissioner of Inland Revenue”. 

Members of the public are advised to ignore the scam phishing email and not to provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions in the email. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

A screenshot of the phishing email is provided for reference:

Read how IRAS protects you from scams. 

We have been alerted to a phishing website that instructs recipients to provide their phone number to get a “Metro service VAT refund”. The phishing website misuses the logos of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singpass.

Members of the public are advised not to provide their phone numbers, Singpass login credentials or click into the phishing website. Please also do not provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments or follow any instructions on the website. Those affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.

A screenshot of the phishing website is provided for reference: 

We have been alerted of a scam email with the subject heading ‘Filed GST returns’ purportedly from IRAS, instructing recipients to file their GST returns.  

Members of the public are advised not to respond to this scam email nor download the files attached in the email. Please also do not provide any personal, credit card or bank account details, make payments to a third party’s bank account or follow any instructions by the sender. Those who have been affected by the scam are advised to lodge police reports.  

A screenshot of the email is provided for reference: 

We have been alerted of a resurgence of scam phishing emails impersonating IRAS. Under the pretext of offering “tax refunds”, these emails lure taxpayers to give their credit card details. 

The scam occurs in the following sequence: 

Members of public would receive unsolicited emails containing “Iras-gov.sg” in the scam sender name.  The scam email claims that taxpayers are eligible for a tax refund and directs them to click on an embedded link to receive the tax refund. 

• Upon clicking on the link in the email, taxpayers will be directed to a spoofed myTax Portal login page, where they would be asked to enter their telephone number and postal code.

• Thereafter, taxpayers would be redirected to another spoofed webpage seeking their full name and credit card details.

• Members of the public who have been affected by the scam are advised to lodge a police report. 

Scam phishing SMS 

Members of the public are advised to be on the alert for scam phishing SMSes impersonating IRAS. The scam SMS directs taxpayers to click on a link to provide information due to taxpayers’ “unreported income and tax evasion”.

The scam occurs in the following sequence:  

• Members of public would receive scam phishing SMSes with the scam sender name “Mysgtax”.  The scam SMS directs them to click on an embedded link in order to provide clarifications to IRAS due to “unreported income and tax evasion”.

• Upon clicking on the link in the SMS, the victims would be redirected to a scam website seeking their full name and credit card details.

• Click only on links with “iras.gov.sg” or “go.gov.sg” 
• For tax transactions, including filing and payments, use relevant forms and digital services in myTax Portal by logging in with Singpass
• Delete suspicious emails and SMSes asking for personal details or login credentials 
• Do not download or open any attached files in emails and SMSes
• Do not click on hyperlinks in suspicious emails and SMSes
• Never disclose your passwords, SMS One-Time Passwords or One-Time OTPs to others

We’ve been alerted of a scam WhatsApp message, along with a PDF attachment titled “GST invoice”, purportedly sent by Swiss Financial Services (“SFS”).  

Members of the public are advised to ignore the WhatsApp message and PDF attachment, or provide any personal, credit card or bank account details. Those who have been affected by the scam are advised to lodge a police report. 

We have been alerted of a scam email purportedly sent by ‘MOH Singapore’ with email titled ‘Notice of Tax Reimbursement’ that promised the recipients an income tax refund by clicking on the ‘Tax Reliefs Procedure’ button.  

Members of the public are advised to ignore the email and not to click on the link, or provide any personal, credit card or bank account details. Those who have been affected by the scam are advised to lodge a police report.

We have been alerted of Members of the Public receiving spoofed emails from IRAS.  

The spoofed email attempts to deceive recipients into thinking that the message came from an IRAS officer.

Do not click on malicious links or download malware attachment in the spoofed email as they may contain malicious content or malware.

Here are some tips to avoid being scammed by spoofed IRAS’ website, email or correspondences:  

• Beware of fake websites spoofing IRAS. Use only the official IRAS website at www.iras.gov.sg or myTax Portal at mytax.iras.gov.sg to access information or do tax transactions. Always key in www.iras.gov.sg or mytax.iras.gov.sg to access the IRAS website or myTax Portal website.  
  
• Look out for misspelling, substitution of letters, and/or the deliberate shifting of “gov.sg” to other parts of the web address. 
  
• Be wary of when you receive letters or other documents spoofing IRAS, other than those you access through the secured myTax Portal. Do not fall prey to scammers offering tax refunds or threatening to investigate you for incorrect tax filing.  

We have been alerted of a fake Singpost website showing a spoofed IRAS logo. The website lures users with a promise of a cashback which will be sent to their bank account if they click [ACCEPT].

 Do not click on the phishing link: 

We have been alerted of a resurgence of a scam variant where victims receive a letter, purportedly from IRAS, instructing the recipient to pay income tax on their investment profit to ensure “the safety of their funds”.

The scam letter claimed that IRAS received a report on the recipient’s investment profit which is subject to 30% income tax. The letter also quoted IRAS’ e-Tax Guide on Income Tax Treatment of Digital Tokens to mislead the recipient that income tax is payable on the profit before a refund will be issued. The recipient is then instructed to make payment within 3 days or face enforcement/legal action by IRAS if payment is not made.

A screenshot of the scam letter is provided below for reference: 

We have received reports on fake SMSes purportedly from IRAS or banks using fraudulent sender IDs. The SMSes attempt to lure recipients to click on links which will lead to phishing websites.

Members of the public are advised to delete the scam SMSes and not to click on the phishing links. If you have been affected by the scam SMS, please lodge a police report.

IRAS will send SMSes on tax matters using only the sender ID “IRAS”. To prevent scammers from impersonating IRAS, we have registered with the Singapore SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR). This allows SSIR to identify and block spoofed messages upfront. Only SMSes from IRAS will be delivered using the sender ID “IRAS”.

Screenshots of the fake SMSes are provided for reference: 

Phishing scam -  12 Oct 2022

Phishing scam - 21 Sep 2022

Phishing scam - 16 Sep 2022

Phishing scam - 6 Sep 2022

Phishing scam - 1 Sep 2022