Police warn of scam using fake Revenue Department website

The scammers phone prospective victims to offer an income tax return, PCT head and deputy national police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas said on Saturday.

They then send victims a link for what appears to be the Revenue Department’s official website. Victims who click on the link are asked to register for a tax return by providing their personal information on the website, which is fake.

The scammers then ask victims to tell them the one-time password (OTP) that was sent to their phones. With the password, the scammers are able to take control of the victim’s phone remotely.

Victims have discovered that their bank accounts linked to mobile apps installed on their phones have been emptied by criminals using this method.

The cyber-criminals also threaten to expose “embarrassing secrets” found on the victims’ phones unless they pay more money, Damrongsak said.

Offering advice on how to prevent falling victim to cyber-scammers, he said people should double-check the website address to make sure it is official. The address of the Revenue Department’s official website is www.rd.go.th. He also urged people not to reveal their OTPs, especially to strangers. Damrongsak added that the Revenue Department does not handle tax-return cases by phone.