In the past day I have had a number of clients ring me in a panic saying that the IRD have texted to tell them that they owed money for unpaid tax and offering a link to enable the payment. I have advised them to delete the text and not to follow any instructions the text asks of them.
DON'T GET HOOKED - this is phishing from online criminals.
Phishing is the act of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Criminals are masquerading as the IRD and are using online phishing scams (via email), SMS phishing (known as smishing) and voice phishing (known as vishing) scams to get personal information, money and identity.
If you receive an e-mail or text message notifying you of a tax refund or asking for your tax information, use the following tips to determine if it is genuine:
• Does it include a hyperlink that asks you to submit information?
• Does it include a specific $ value of the refund?
• Does it have errors in spelling or grammar?
If the answer is "Yes" to any of these questions, delete the text or e-mail and do not follow any instructions it contains.
If you come across an apparent IRD phishing scam and are unsure, please contact either your accountant or the IRD. The IRD can be contacted via [email protected] or 0800 227 774.
This letter is to express my appreciation for the assistance and encouragement of both Anthony Lipscombe and particularly John Heaslip over the last financial year. The period since activating my trading trust has been one of considerable stress, as well as personal development, as I embarked on this as a relative business neophyte with virtually no awareness of the contemporary requirements of running a business, particularly the financial records aspect. During much of this period I have therefore felt considerable out of my depth. However I have been lucky enough to have had the benefit of the advice and support of John Heaslip in rationalizing what was a fairly chaotic set of records of the first year property trading. I am able to say that John in particular, has been unstinting in his attention to my needs and has done so in a manner which has never alluded to my extremely rudimentary grasp of managing a business, or even of being unable to set out a spread sheet properly. The result of the above guidance is that now, although my trading trust would still not be able to operate without the advice of GRA, I do least feel a sense of satisfaction that I have got to my present point without major disaster and that my property trust does now have some kind of firmer basis for any future activities - Name withheld by request
Gilligan Rowe and Associates is a chartered accounting firm specialising in property, asset planning, legal structures, taxation and compliance.
We help new, small and medium property investors become long-term successful investors through our education programmes and property portfolio planning advice. With our deep knowledge and experience, we have assisted hundreds of clients build wealth through property investment.
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