The Financial Services Bureau (DSF) warned in a statement yesterday that it has recently discovered that criminals are impersonating DSF personnel to send fraudulent “salary tax refund” text messages to citizens.
The messages falsely claim to offer a “refund of salary tax overpaid in relation to the fiscal year 2025” and include suspicious links, according to the statement, adding that by choosing a certain payment method as bait, they guide netizens to click and enter a fraudulent website.
The statement said the website then requests that netizens input sensitive personal information, such as identification details and credit card data. Once the fraudsters obtain this information, they can conduct unauthorised transactions, leading to financial losses for the victims, the statement said.
The bureau clarified in the statement that it will never notify citizens about any tax refunds or payment processing matters via text messages containing hyperlinks.
According to the statement, if netizens receive any similar messages, they must remain highly vigilant and refrain from clicking on any links or providing any personal or financial information. Regardless of the sender’s claimed identity – be it an institution or an individual – no response should be given without proper verification, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Judiciary Police Anti-Fraud Coordination Centre also issued yesterday a warning to remind the public that no government entities send text messages containing links. Whenever citizens need to input personal, banking, or credit card information online, they must first verify the authenticity and security of the website, the statement said.
If in doubt, according to the statement, citizens can use the Judiciary Police’s “Anti-Fraud Tool” to check for risks, or call the Anti-Fraud Inquiry Hotline on 8800 7777 or the Police Emergency Hotline on 993 for assistance.
This image released by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday warns the public to beware of “tax refund” scams.
