Be aware of scammers: FRCS

The Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) would like to advice the public to beware of fake correspondences sent to them on FRCS Public Notice templates requesting them to pay tax on lottery winnings. This warning follows a report made to FRCS by a person stating that she received WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers claiming that her mobile number has won a lottery and that to claim the money, she needs to pay a tax.

To induce the person to pay the tax, the callers sent her a modified copy of an old FRCS Public Notice which had glaring signs of not being genuine such as a non-FRCS stamp. FRCS does not use Public Notice templates to correspond with individuals.

The victim was asked to make the tax payment through money transfer companies. FRCS does not request payments through money transfer companies or through Facebook and messaging apps. All payments to the Service are made at the cashier counters or through our official bank accounts. FRCS CEO, Mr. Mark Dixon advised the public to be vigilant and on alert for potential scams as such and not fall for them.

“As with most scams, the fraudsters in this scam also used psychology-based principles to increase the effectiveness of their attacks and convince the victims to pay with the FRCS Public Notice template. They used this technique to add credibility to their scheme,” Mr. Dixon said.

“Scammers might target you with distinct types of FRCS scams but being aware of frauds and how to address them can help you keep your information and finances secure,” Mr. Dixon said. He urged people not to fall victim to such fraudulent schemes and lose their money to the perpetrators of such frauds.

■Fiji