'That’s not Revenue texting you – it’s a scam artist,' Laois Gardaí warn

Laois Offaly Gardai are warning people of a new text scam purporting to come from Revenue.

The text message in this case states that a “pre-approved tax credit repayment cannot be processed and urges the recipient to follow a link. 

“That’s not Revenue texting you – it’s a scam artist with a keyboard and too much time on their hands!” Laois Offaly gardaí warned.  

“If you click that link, you won’t get a tax refund – you’ll get a headache, identity theft, and possibly a surprise loan in your name,” gardai said. 

“The real Revenue never sends text messages asking you to “verify info” via suspicious links. The domain name looks like it was made during a caffeine-fueled guessing game,” gardaí pointed out. 

They advised people who received the text not to reply or click the link but to report it to the National Cyber Security Centre or forward it to 50588 and delete it. 

Gardaí also advised people to warn family and friends, particularly those who may not be tech-savvy.