IRD tax refund email is a scam

Hoax emails offering tax refunds under the pretence of being from the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) are doing the rounds and should be ignored, says a taxwoman.
The spokeswoman said emails had been circulating in various forms for the past few months and IRD had been warning people about them since June.
The emails had come in different forms, but all had used the IRD logo and branding, and asking people to enter personal details, including their username and credit card details.
One of the latest scam emails was sent to the Wanganui Chronicle, informing us that "upon the last calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $348.12".
The email went on to say that if we did not submit the tax refund form available by link from the email in 24 hours we would be put on a waiting list and our refund would take two weeks to three months to be returned.
It then said, using an unusual word order, that if we did not "complete correctly the form" our request would be put on hold for up to a month.
The email, like previous hoaxes, used the IRD logo and was sent from taxrefund@ird.govt.nz.
It directed us to a link, which bought up an email form prompting us to put in our details.
The return email was a gobbledy-gook address, different from the one we received the email from.
Other hoax emails have included a link in the email directing people to a fake webpage with an Inland Revenue logo.
People are asked to enter personal details, including their username and credit card details.
Inland Revenue assistance group manager Charles Ronaldson, said that the IRD did not offer tax refunds via email, and anyone who entered information risked having their details stolen.
Mr Ronaldson said people should be very careful about giving out their personal details, but if anyone had replied to the people behind the scams they should contact their bank or credit card provider.
If they had clicked on the link and then entered their bank details they should change their security password immediately.
If people had provided their IRD online details they should contact the Inland Revenue Department on 0800 775 247.
To report suspicious emails that target Inland Revenue customers, please send an email to phishing@ird.govt.nz.