Revenue Commissioners issue warning over bogus Mayo emails
THE Revenue Commissioners have issued a warning to the public over bogus emails offering tax refunds to people in Mayo.
Very convincing looking emails, purportedly from the Revenue Commissioners, have been winging their way to a number of taxpayers in the county in the past few weeks.
One person targeted, a well known businessman, said his 'correspondence' claimed he was entitled to a tax refund of €376.51 and to supply personal information immediately in order to claw back that amount.
The scam message, in full, read: “After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of €376.51. To access your tax refund, please download and fill the Tax Refund Form attached to this email. Click to apply refund form.
'Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 2-5 days in order to process it. A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. As example, for submitting invalid records or applying over the deadline.”
The message was signed ‘Anthony Poole’.
The email is an exercise in what is known in modern terms as 'phishing' - a scam that usually comes in the form of emails designed to deceive recipients into providing personal information that can be used to gain access to online accounts and to be used in identity theft.
In response to a query from The Connaught Telegraph, the Revenue Commissioners confirmed the email is a fraud.
They stated: “This week the Revenue Commissioners have become aware of fraudulent emails and SMS (text messages) purporting to come from Revenue seeking personal information from taxpayers in connection with a tax refund or seeking credit/debit card details. These emails and text messages did not issue from Revenue.
“The Revenue Commissioners never send emails or text messages requiring customers to send personal information via email, text or pop-up windows.
“Anyone who receives an email or text message purporting to be from Revenue and suspects it to be fraudulent or a scam should simply delete it. Anyone who is actually awaiting a tax refund should contact their local Revenue Office to check its status.
“Anyone who provided personal information in response to these fraudulent emails or text messages should contact their bank or credit card company immediately.”
Another scam highlighted by Revenue this month involves taxpayers receiving phone calls from a man or woman purporting to work in Revenue demanding the immediate payment of a tax bill over the phone.
Revenue stress they never operate in this manner and anybody who receives such calls should contact their Collector General's Division (1890 20 30 70).
And anyone who mistakenly provides personal information in response to these types of fraudulent phone calls should contact their bank or credit card company immediately and alert the gardaí.