Warning of e-mail offering tax refund

THE OFFICE of the Revenue Commissioners has warned of a scam e-mail purporting to offer a tax refund.

The e-mail, which includes a link to a reproduction of the revenue.ie website, claims recipients are eligible to receive a tax refund of €320.50, and invites them to complete an online form.

The phishing e-mail is headed with the message “You are eligible to receive a tax refund of €320.50”. It asks the recipient to submit personal details, including date of birth and debit or credit card details.

Revenue confirmed yesterday the e-mail was not issued by it, and advised people who may have provided financial information to contact their bank or credit card company immediately.

A phishing scam is where forged e-mails are sent to people in order to trick them into revealing personal or financial information. That information is then used by fraudsters to apply for credit cards in the person’s name or to write cheques from their bank account.

The Revenue Commissioners stressed it would “never” send customers e-mails which would invite them to complete an online form to receive a tax rebate.

It is not the first time taxpayers have been targeted. Earlier this year the Revenue Commissioners issued a warning after a fraudulent e-mail seeking personal information from taxpayers in connection with a tax refund was circulated. Revenue has published advice on its website on how customers can protect themselves from scams and phishing.